Pentagon Awards $24M Contract to Foundation Future Industries for Phantom Military Robot
Foundation Future Industries has secured a $24 million contract from the Pentagon to test its Phantom humanoid robot for military applications, marking one of the first direct U.S. Department of Defense investments in ground-based humanoid systems.
The contract focuses on breach operations—entering and clearing enemy sites in scenarios where sending human soldiers carries significant casualty risk. CEO Sankaet Pathak stated that the funding is aimed at strengthening U.S. readiness in ground-based autonomous systems, an area where China has been making meaningful progress.
The current Phantom model features 176 pounds weight, 1.7 meters per second speed, with a design focus on eliminating "robotic" quality of movement for natural operation in human-scale environments.
Pathak indicated that a successor model, Phantom 2, is in development and described it as "the strongest humanoid robot built anywhere in the world, including China." A formal product announcement is expected in the coming months.
Beyond military applications, Foundation Future Industries is targeting construction and disaster relief sectors.
Eric Trump, chief strategy advisor to the company, framed the program explicitly in competitive terms: "We are America First. We have to win this race."
The $24 million figure covers testing rather than full production procurement—meaning this is an evaluation phase. How the Phantom performs against testing criteria will determine whether the program advances to further development funding.
