Microsoft wins $22 billion deal making headsets for US Army Augmented reality headsets could be used for both training and in actual battle April 7, 2021 By Matt O'Brien, The Associated Press Microsoft won a nearly $22 billion contract to supply U.S. Army combat troops with its augmented reality headsets. Microsoft and the Army separately announced the deal recently. The technology is based on Microsoft’s HoloLens headsets, which were originally intended for the video game and entertainment industries. Pentagon officials have described the futuristic technology – which the Army calls its Integrated Visual Augmentation System – as a way of boosting soldiers’ awareness of their surroundings and their ability to spot targets and dangers.