Army’s Sci-Fi Infantry Goggles Change the Mechanics of Shooting, Soldiers Say
They look like the old Army dust goggles, but they are high tech. They have a heads up display in them. Not only can you see where all of your soldiers are, but you can aim weapons with them, although it takes a new method of firing the weapon- not really shouldering it.
Sounds cool and good, but they better train to shoot the old and new way, in case the new tech fails in combat.
After testing out the latest version of the Army's smart-soldier goggles, infantrymen from the 82nd Airborne Division say combat marksmanship definitely changes when wearing the Individual Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS).
The newest Microsoft-designed IVAS prototype resembles a sci-fi version of the tactical dust goggles soldiers wore in the last two desert wars. Slated for fielding in fiscal 2021, IVAS is designed to equip soldiers with a heads-up display (HUD) that allows them to view tactical maps, as well as their weapon-sight reticle.
A special thermal weapons site mounts on the M4A1 carbine and projects the site reticle into the wearer's field of view via Bluetooth signal -- a technology known as Rapid Target Acquisition.
"The real difference we were experiencing, because of the way the HUD is designed, you actually don't really shoulder your rifle quite the way that you normally would without the IVAS system," Sgt. Sam Crawford, a team leader in Comanche Company, 2nd Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, told Military.com.
"It would take some getting used to," Crawford said. "As somebody who fires weapons, it's very alien to us."