- DoD Ucore award underscores Pentagon’s push to strengthen domestic supply chains for essential components.
- Ucore execs emphasize collaboration with government on strategic rare earth ramp-up.
- Company’s RapidSX platform offers a modular, column-based solvent extraction system that is 3 to 7 times faster than conventional vat-based methods.
As the U.S. military faces mounting global tensions and technological threats, a quiet revolution is unfolding in North America’s critical materials landscape, one powered by rare earth elements and a bold new refining technology. Ucore Rare Metals (TSX.V: UCU) (OTCQX: UURAF) has emerged as a central player in this effort with its cutting-edge RapidSX(TM) platform, a next-generation separation technology now backed by the U.S. Department of Defense through an $18.4 million award. This investment underscores the Pentagon’s push to strengthen domestic supply chains for essential components used in missiles, fighter jets and radar systems — and Ucore is poised to deliver.
The phase 2 award expands on the initial government’s initial $4 million phase 1 demonstration, magnifying its impact on national security-critical manufacturing. Ucore confirmed that the Department of Defense has kick-started the project and outlined the scope and milestones, including detailed engineering designs for commercial-scale RapidSX columns at both Ontario’s Demonstration Facility and a new Strategic Metals Complex (“SMC”) in Alexandria, Louisiana (https://ibn.fm/mRrzH). Work will continue through commissioning and early-production readiness, targeting commercial-scale output of salable rare-earth oxides by the second half of 2026.
A key phase 1 triumph was the successful separation of terbium and dysprosium, two heavy rare earth elements (“HREE”) indispensable for high-performance permanent magnets — and vital components in defense systems. Ucore separated these critical elements using RapidSX, triggering a milestone payment of $1.1 million and bringing total phase 1 receipts to $3.35 million, with an additional $647,000 to be invoiced as the project progresses.
The significance of terbium and dysprosium lies in their use in defense-grade magnets. These rare earths provide the high-temperature strength and magnetic stability required in F-35 jet motors, guidance systems and advanced radar. By producing these domestically, Ucore helps alleviate critical shortages and enhances supply reliability. With RapidSX, Ucore aims to establish a stable pipeline and ensure that such magnets remain available for defense technologies, reducing risk from foreign interruptions (https://ibn.fm/pSUSq).
This project is especially timely given longstanding concerns over China’s grip on the rare earth supply chain. China currently controls upwards of 98% of heavy rare earth refining globally (https://ibn.fm/cc69x). Ucore’s RapidSX facility in Louisiana, enabled by the DoD phase 2 funding, represents a major step toward reducing dependency on Chinese HREE supply, aligning with Pentagon and industrial strategies to “onshore” critical metal processing.
Beyond defense applications, HREEs are essential for electric vehicles, renewable energy technologies, robotics, semiconductors and more. Ucore’s domestic processing capability, backed by RapidSX, unlocks a Western supply chain that supports broader innovation while ensuring national security.
Ucore’s RapidSX platform, developed in conjunction with Innovation Metals Corp. and engineered in Ontario, offers a modular, column-based solvent extraction system that is 3 to 7 times faster than conventional vat-based methods, while reducing physical footprint to one-third (https://ibn.fm/dadSR). This efficiency not only expedites production but also supports the flexibility needed for a scalable, rapid-response supply chain.
Corporate leadership emphasizes collaboration with government on strategic rare earth ramp-up. Ucore CEO Pat Ryan explained that the atomic phase 2 award is “a critical step for Ucore’s commercial advancements, but more importantly, for the progression of a Western rare earth supply chain and North American critical metals security” (https://ibn.fm/C9huQ), while company COO Mike Schrider noted that “with phase 2 of the award fully mobilized, we are now moving RapidSX from commercial demonstration scale toward full-scale production.”
Looking ahead, Ucore is executing a dual-site strategy: Ontario’s RapidSX Commercial Demonstration Facility will continue operational validation, while the Louisiana SMC readies for commercial production. Groundbreaking for the SMC took place in May, with notable attendance by DoD, state and local officials, signaling bipartisan and institutional support (https://ibn.fm/S8xY6).
By establishing a rapid-response, scalable HREE processing chain in North America, Ucore supports defense-grade magnet commodity security, broad-based high-tech manufacturing and geopolitical resilience. This model aligns perfectly with the Pentagon’s strategic objectives under its Industrial Base and Sustainability program, while reducing reliance on adversarial-state supply chains. The company is steadily advancing from demonstration to full commercial readiness, aiming to integrate RapidSX machines in both Canada and the United States, including planned future strategic metals complexes. Through strategic partnerships and military contracts, the company is well-positioned to meet growing demand for HREEs in defense, green tech and beyond.
For more information, visit www.Ucore.com.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to UURAF are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/UURAF
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