Foundation in Talks to Supply Up to 1,000 Phantom Humanoids to Israel's Military

The Eric Trump-backed startup says it is in direct talks with the IDF about sending Phantom robots into Gaza's tunnels, with combat possible.

Foundation Future Industries is in talks with the Israel Defense Forces to supply up to 1,000 of its Phantom MK1 humanoid robots for operations in Hamas tunnels beneath Gaza, with combat roles possible, the company's co-founder and president Mike LeBlanc told the Financial Times. LeBlanc said he met senior Israeli military officials for preliminary discussions in September and toured tunnels with the Phantom MK1.

LeBlanc said the company is in direct talks with the chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces and is discussing a potential supply of up to 1,000 Phantoms, each costing around $150,000. He presented the robots as a way to spare soldiers from clearing booby traps and detecting tripwires in tunnels, and said they could engage in combat if they encountered opposition. No purchase agreement has been announced, and Israel's defense ministry declined to comment.

The San Francisco startup builds the Phantom as a humanoid for battlefield missions. LeBlanc said Foundation and a company it acquired have received more than $70 million in US military contracts and development funding. The company says it tested two Phantom MK1 units with Ukrainian forces in February 2026, and it requires human authorization before any use of force.

Eric Trump, an early investor in Foundation, serves as the company's chief strategic adviser, a role he took in March. A spokesperson for Trump says he has no involvement in the company's management, operations, strategic decisions or commercial activities, including government contracts.