Meta Partners with Anduril to Build AI-Powered Mixed-Reality Headsets for the U.S. Military

The U.S. military is set to receive a new generation of artificial intelligence-enhanced virtual (VR) and augmented reality (AR) gear, thanks to a groundbreaking partnership between Meta and defense contractor Anduril.

The upcoming headset, called EagleEye, will be the first major product of this collaboration, Anduril’s co-founder Palmer Luckey announced on May 29. Designed to revolutionize battlefield operations, the EagleEye headset integrates Anduril’s advanced AI-powered command and control system, known as the Lattice platform. This system pulls data from thousands of sources, delivering real-time battlefield intelligence directly to soldiers.

According to Anduril, the headset aims to provide soldiers with enhanced perception and intuitive control over autonomous platforms, improving decision-making and situational awareness during missions. “This integration will transform how warfighters see, sense, and integrate battlefield information, providing immersive technology solutions that enhance tactical decision-making in combat scenarios,” the company said in its announcement.

Leveraging Commercial Tech for Military Innovation

The project is privately funded and aims to repurpose cutting-edge commercial VR and AR technologies for military use. Meta, which rebranded from Facebook in 2021 as part of its push into the metaverse, has invested an estimated $40 billion into developing AR and VR systems since its launch of the metaverse initiative.

Anduril co-founder Palmer Luckey (left) with Meta co-founder Mark Zuckerberg (right). Source: Palmer Luckey

Palmer Luckey, who previously co-founded Oculus VR (acquired by Meta in 2014), described the EagleEye project as part of his long-term goal to turn U.S. soldiers into “technomancers.” In a May 29 post on X (formerly Twitter), Luckey revealed, “We have been working together on a variety of things for a while now, but the first one to go public will be EagleEye, the system I hope will go on to become the next Soldier Borne Mission Command for the Army.”

Microsoft Steps Back, Anduril Steps Forward

Notably, Microsoft was initially awarded the U.S. military contract back in 2018 to develop AR headsets under the Soldier Borne Mission Command program, basing its designs on the HoloLens headset. However, in February, Microsoft confirmed that Anduril had taken over the lead on the hardware, though Microsoft remains the program’s cloud services provider.

Big Tech and the U.S. Military: Growing Ties

This partnership is just the latest in a wave of deepening collaborations between U.S. tech giants and military agencies.

In November, Meta revised its acceptable use policies to open access to its Llama large language model (LLM) for U.S. defense contractors and national security agencies. That same month, AI company Anthropic granted the U.S. Department of Defense access to its Claude 3 and Claude 3.5 AI models, which are being integrated into Palantir's AI platform secured on Amazon Web Services.

Source: Palmer Luckey

Additionally, in August, Palantir announced a major partnership with Microsoft to provide AI analytics and services to U.S. defense and intelligence agencies.

A Glimpse Into the Future of Warfare

With the EagleEye project, Meta and Anduril are poised to reshape the technological landscape of modern warfare. By combining immersive mixed-reality systems with powerful battlefield AI, the U.S. military could equip its soldiers with unprecedented real-time awareness and control — moving closer to the vision of fully networked, AI-driven combat operations.

As the defense sector increasingly taps into commercial innovation, the line between consumer tech and military applications continues to blur — raising both excitement and critical questions about the future of warfare.