In the near future, U.S. soldiers could be relying on Microsoft’s mixed reality Hololens technology to give them the edge. Last week, Bloomberg News reported that Microsoft had won a US $480 million contract from the U.S. Army for prototypes of a system that could result in the Army ordering 100,000 headsets, potentially for use in active combat.

This is a significant departure from how Hololens technology has been previously considered for military use. In the United States, military projects incorporating mixed and virtual reality have stayed largely in line with the private sector’s original goal of creating systems for immersive entertainment or industrial use. So we’ve seen the Hololens used for training or demonstrated as an aide for field technicians servicing equipment. Even in other countries, where the technology is being considered for battlefield use, the scope has been narrow, such as a Ukrainian test of a Hololens-equipped helmet that gives tank commanders a 360-degree view of the world outside their tank.