US Army weighing IVAS production decision, unlikely to meet September fielding date

US Army soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division use an IVAS prototype during a trench-clearing exercise in October 2020 at Fort Pickett in Virginia. (US Army)

US Army soldiers continued to experience technology and fit challenges during a recent operational test of Microsoft's Integrated Augmentation System (IVAS), Assistant Secretary of the US Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology Douglas Bush told reporters on 27 July.

Bush is now drafting a production division recommendation for the multibillion programme based around the militarised HoloLens 2 heads-up display, but the service is unlikely to meet its revised first unit equipped date set for September, Janes understands.

The army concluded the initial operational test and evaluation of its IVAS in late June, and the Program Executive Office Soldier told Janes on 26 July that formal test reports should be available around the September timeframe.

However, Bush said he and other officials are reviewing the findings before Army Secretary Christine Wormuth makes a production decision, which may occur before the final report is released.

Although Bush did not disclose specific details from recent IVAS testing he said “further improvements” are needed. “I think there's further work to do to improve the system, but we saw a lot of things … [and] I'm encouraged,” he added. “But that final decision on exactly how to move forward will be made by the secretary and I'm working on a recommendation.”