American startup linked to Eric Trump has quietly tested humanoid combat robots on Ukraine’s front lines. The machines carried supplies in combat zones – and bigger deployments may be coming.

Foundation Future Industries is testing humanoid robots in Ukraine to support military logistics, with plans for larger deployments and future cooperation with the U.S. military.

At the beginning of 2026, U.S.-based company Foundation Future Industries sent two of its Phantom MK-1 humanoid robots to Ukraine to test them in real combat conditions.

According to Babel, the company’s CEO and co-founder, Sankaet Pathak, revealed this in comments to CNBC.

During pilot trials in Ukraine, the robots carried out logistics missions in high-risk areas, such as delivering and retrieving supplies, helping reduce the danger to military personnel. The tests were conducted with support from the U.S. government and in cooperation with Ukrainian officials.

The company’s CEO says he wants to use robotics not for household chores, but to tackle “humanity’s toughest challenges” in the military and industrial sectors.

At the same time, the current Phantom model has several limitations: it can carry only about 20 kilograms of cargo, lacks sufficient water resistance, and is unable to operate autonomously for extended periods.

As a result, the company plans to send an upgraded version, the Phantom 2, to Ukraine later this year. The new model is expected to have double the payload capacity and what the company describes as “superhuman capabilities.”

The company plans to use the results of its trials in Ukraine to support future work with the U.S. military. The startup has already secured $24 million in U.S. government contracts to test robots for logistics, inspection, and weapons-handling tasks.

However, the company has even more ambitious goals: it aims to manufacture thousands of robots annually and begin trials with the U.S. military within the next 12 to 18 months.

According to CNBC, achieving that goal will be aided by Eric Trump, the second son of Donald Trump, who recently joined the company as its Chief Strategy Advisor. He had previously been an investor in the startup.

EMPR