Anduril and Meta are developing AR glasses to control military drones

Anduril's announcement shows where the combat system of the future is heading: a commander looks at a wall, blinks, and a combat drone receives an order in a fraction of a second. For the first time, the company has revealed detailed specifics of an AR headset for the military, built jointly with Meta. The device will let users control drones through eye tracking and voice commands, significantly speeding up decision-making in frontline combat conditions.

How the glasses will work

Anduril and Meta are jointly developing an AR headset for combat operations. The device tracks eye movements and registers voice commands, turning them into control signals for unmanned aircraft. According to Quay Barnett, a vice president at Anduril and a veteran of army special operations, the system will let troops issue orders in seconds. Today that takes complex coordination between command links and minutes of precious time.

The first prototypes are already being tested in the field. The system recognizes not just individual commands but whole chains of actions: a soldier can select a target on the field display with a blink, and voice input adds the parameters for the operation, such as altitude, angle of attack and execution time.

What the system can do

The developers described the prototype's main capabilities:

• Aiming drones at objects in real time, with automatic correction for target movement
• Adjusting an aircraft's flight path through the operator's eye movements
• Issuing airstrike commands with minimal signal transmission delay
• Synchronizing coordinated actions of several aircraft at once
• Sharing tactical combat data with other systems on a unified command network

Barnett stresses that the entire system is designed for the extreme, stressful conditions of active combat, where every second decides the outcome of a critical operation. According to him, the AR interface will preserve the situational awareness of a soldier who may be tracking several drones on the battlefield at once.

Potential and challenges

The glasses should be especially effective in dynamic scenarios: reconnaissance of positions, rapid movement across territory, and quick changes of tactics during a fight. Here, decision speed becomes the decisive advantage.

But there are clear limitations. The system requires clear visibility of targets on the display, a stable communication link with the aircraft, and intensive personnel training. In difficult terrain with a poor radio signal, the glasses may work less reliably. In addition, full integration with the Pentagon's existing weaponry will require months of refinement and testing.

What this means

If the prototypes pass their trials, they will redefine the tempo of warfare in the 21st century. Instead of the traditional chain of orders over a radio network, commands would pass directly and instantly from the operator's gaze and voice to the combat system. For the military, this means a potential reduction in reaction time by a third; for the adversary, a substantial cut in the time available to take cover or mount countermeasures.

The project also shows how traditional AR technologies, which Meta uses in its civilian Quest headsets, are starting to find serious military use.