The U.S. Army announced that last week Paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division, 1st Battalion 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, trained with a prototype of the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) during Experimental Demonstration Gateway Exercise 2021 at Dugway Proving Ground, Utah.

According to an Army statement, the training familiarized the 1-508 Paratroopers with the system and allowed them to train with them in a field environment.

Currently, the IVAS program is one of the most revolutionary things Army done for the dismounted close combat force since the inception of night vision.

IVAS looks at the Soldier as a weapons system, carefully balancing weight and Soldier load with its enhanced capabilities. Therefore, the Army is looking to amplify the impact of one dismounted Soldier equipped with IVAS and apply its capability set to mounted platforms as well.

The IVAS packs a variety of impressive capabilities into one package. Night vision and thermal scope settings are both available at the press of a button. Soldiers can share topographical imagery or 3D maps of an objective at any time, whether rehearsing or in the field.

A Soldier can pair the IVAS to a weapon, enabling the weapon to be aimed using a reticle projected into their field of vision rather than holding it at the shoulder and peering through the scope. All members of a platoon can know where all of their teammates are at a given time, no matter how dark or dense the surrounding terrain.