Anduril and Meta prototype AR glasses for military drone strikes
Anduril, a defense technology firm, is collaborating with Meta to develop augmented-reality headsets for the U.S. military, allowing troops to initiate drone strikes through eye-tracking and vocal commands. Quay Barnett, the VP of Anduril, seeks to enhance "the human as a weapons system." Among Anduril's initiatives is the Soldier Born Mission Command (SBMC) for the Army, which received a $159 million contract in 2024, along with the self-financed EagleEye headset introduced in October. A selection by the Army is anticipated by 2028. These headsets provide information overlays and interpret commands using LLMs through Anduril's Lattice software, tied to a $20 billion agreement announced in March 2026. Rivet ($195 million) and Elbit ($120 million) are notable competitors, facing obstacles like dust, weight, and insufficient 5G connectivity.
Key facts
- Anduril and Meta are prototyping AR headsets for the military.
- Quay Barnett leads the effort at Anduril.
- Two projects: SBMC ($159M contract) and self-funded EagleEye.
- Army may select top choice by 2028.
- Glasses overlay maps, drone info, AI target recognition.
- LLMs from Google, Meta, Anthropic translate commands.
- Lattice software to be integrated Army-wide for $20B.
- Eye-tracking and taps enable multi-step tasks.
- Component parts arrived March 2026.
- Supply chains avoid Chinese companies.
- Competitors: Rivet ($195M), Elbit ($120M).
- Digital night vision uses generative AI and ML.
- Meta provides displays and waveguides.
- Challenges: dust, weight, no 5G.
- Jonathan Wong (RAND) warns of information overload.
Entities
Institutions
- Anduril
- Meta
- US Army
- MIT Technology Review
- Anthropic
- RAND
- Rivet
- Elbit
- Microsoft
- Pentagon
Locations
- United States
- Iran
- Israel