The US Army has announced it’s delaying the introduction of Microsoft’s HoloLens mixed reality smart glasses, which were previously expected to be used in the field this year.
As Reuters reports, the delay sees the Army push back deployment of the military-grade HoloLens to next year, with September 2022 being the new window for units equipped with the smart glasses.
The delay was confirmed in a press release by the Program Executive Office Soldier, which said, “The Army decided to shift the IVAS Operational Test and fielding to a date later in FY22. The Army is fully committed to its partnership with Microsoft to advance specific technologies to meet operational requirements and maximize warfighter impact.”
A test was carried out in September this year, which is when we expected to see HoloLens used in the field, but further testing is clearly required. The Army is committed to “execute testing regularly throughout FY22” with the suggestion that further enhancements are required to ensure “Soldiers achieve overmatch in Multi Domain Operations.”
Microsoft won a Pentagon contract to develop a military-grade HoloLens back in March, with an order for more than 120,000 units in a deal thought to be worth over $21 billion. The company will be very keen to ensure this version of HoloLens is a success, and it looks as though the US Army can still see it being of use, but it’s not quite useful enough just yet.
