Maxar to supply 3D terrain data for U.S. Army mixed-reality system

WASHINGTON — Maxar Intelligence will provide 3D maps and terrain data for a U.S. Army digital platform designed to give soldiers an immersive view of the battlefield through specialized headsets, the company said Sept. 8.

The system, known as Soldier-Borne Mission Command Architecture (SBMC-A), is being developed by defense contractor Anduril Industries. 

The Army awarded $159 million to Anduril and $195 million to Rivet, a startup backed by Palantir Technologies, to build prototype wearable devices for the program. SBMC-A replaces the Army’s cancelled Integrated Visual Augmentation System, a multibillion-dollar effort that failed to meet performance standards.

Maxar, which operates a fleet of high-resolution Earth observation satellites, has built a detailed 3D representation of the planet. For the Army, this terrain foundation is integrated into a mixed-reality system that overlays real-time maps, intelligence feeds, and sensor data onto helmet-mounted displays.

“SBMC-A isn’t a set of goggles — it’s a software, network and integration layer that turns every soldier into a node in the command-and-control network,” Maxar said in a release.

By feeding near-real-time geospatial intelligence into soldiers’ fields of view, SBMC-A aims to give small units the kind of situational awareness typically available only at command centers.

To keep the digital maps current, Maxar refreshes terrain data within hours of new satellite collection, ensuring alignment with “ground truth” during combat and training. Under the Army contract, Maxar and Anduril will first deliver a prototype covering 14 priority locations, a proving ground for how the system can scale across theaters of operation.

Anduril’s partnership with Maxar underscores the defense sector’s growing reliance on commercial satellite data for frontline intelligence.