Phantom MK‑1 deployed in Ukraine
US startup Foundation Robotics’ Phantom MK‑1 humanoid has been tested in Ukraine, reportedly performing combat-oriented tasks; the 5'9" robot already holds Pentagon contracts across branches. The deployment marks another step in real-world military trials of humanoid platforms and the convergence of robotics startups with defense customers. (x.com)
Foundation shipped two Phantom MK‑1 units in February 2026 for instrumented operational evaluation, with company briefings saying the robots will collect real‑world performance data while supporting frontline reconnaissance and logistics tasks. (thedefensenews.com) The platform is reported to be roughly 175 cm tall and 79–80 kg, uses cycloidal back‑drivable actuators driven by about 20 synchronized electric motors, carries a payload near 20 kg and can move at up to ~1.7 m/s. (thedefensenews.com) Internal demonstrations documented the MK‑1 manipulating a revolver, semi‑automatic pistol, shotgun and an M‑16 replica, while company and DoD statements note the deployed units are not authorized to autonomously employ lethal force. (thedefensenews.com) Reporting places Foundation’s active DoD research awards at about $24 million combined across the Army, Navy and Air Force, including an SBIR Phase III award that effectively makes the firm an approved military vendor, and the firm is lining up Marine Corps “methods of entry” trials. (time.com) Company documentation and developer commentary highlight that the Phantom’s physical and thermal footprint was engineered to resemble a human operator for tool compatibility, and marketing materials emphasize operation in hazardous CBRN and other high‑risk environments as a primary use case. (thedefensenews.com) Foundation has publicly floated aggressive production targets—an October 2025 CEO interview cited a 10,000‑unit 2026 target while other outlets have reported claims up to 50,000 units by 2027—and independent listings describe the MK‑1 as using an LLM‑driven task‑to‑motion stack for higher‑level command translation. (humanoidsdaily.com)
