You may know Meta for its virtual reality headsets and social media platforms, but now it’s venturing into military tech. Meta Platforms has joined hands with US defence contractor Anduril Industries to build advanced military equipment, including a new helmet powered by artificial intelligence. The new gear will feature virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR) tools to help soldiers on the battlefield.
This new partnership will see Meta and Anduril collaborate to develop extended-reality (XR) products. According to Anduril, these tools are designed to give soldiers better vision and awareness in combat and allow easier control of autonomous vehicles and systems during missions.
The announcement came in a blog post from Anduril on Thursday. The post highlighted that the goal is to “design, build, and field” new XR systems that will change how soldiers experience the battlefield.
Anduril’s co-founder, Palmer Luckey, is no stranger to Meta. He also co-founded Oculus VR, the virtual reality headset company acquired by Meta (then Facebook) in 2014. Now, he’s back working with Meta, but this time with a military focus.
Meet “Eagle Eye”, the sci-fi helmet in the works
One of the most talked-about projects in this partnership is a new military helmet called Eagle Eye. In his publication Core Memory, journalist Ashlee Vance revealed the details, calling it a “sci-fi-style helmet” that looks like something out of a video game.
Luckey described the helmet as “the thing that everyone’s always wanted.” He added that over the years, people have referred to such gear as “Call of Duty goggles” or “the helmet from Halo” — a nod to popular video games. These headsets have been imagined for decades, but Luckey says the technology is finally ready to bring them to life.
The helmet will use artificial intelligence to provide real-time information and overlays and potentially control autonomous systems. This is a big step forward in how wearable tech could be used by soldiers in the future.
A new chapter for Meta and Palmer Luckey
This partnership also brings together two familiar names in the tech world — Mark Zuckerberg and Palmer Luckey. While they’ve worked together before, this reunion is a bit unexpected. Luckey was previously pushed out of Meta after controversy surrounding his support of a political group that shared anti-Hillary Clinton memes during the 2016 US election.
In a twist, Zuckerberg’s political stance has recently leaned more to the right. While neither Meta nor Anduril commented publicly on this partnership aspect, the collaboration speaks volumes.
Interestingly, Meta updated its “acceptable use” policy back in November. That change made it possible for US military firms to use its large language AI models. Companies like Lockheed Martin, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Palantir Technologies can use Meta’s AI tools, and Anduril joins that growing list.
So far, Meta has remained quiet on the helmet project. No official statement has been released, and questions about the company’s role in the military project have yet to be answered.
Still, this move shows how tech companies like Meta are shifting into defence technology — blending entertainment roots with advanced battlefield tools.
