U.S. Army pushes back date on Microsoft goggles, affirms commitment to deal

FILE PHOTO: A Microsoft logo is pictured on a store in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., January 25, 2021. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

(Reuters) - The United States Army on Thursday said it was pushing back the date when it plans to field augmented reality glasses from Microsoft Corp, but that it remains "fully committed" to the contract with the tech firm worth up to $21.9 billion.

The Army said it expects the first units to be equipped with the glasses, called the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS), by September 2022. Army officials had previously said that they intended to "rapidly field the capability" in the Army's fiscal year 2021, which ended on Sept. 30.