Humanoid Robots Could Reach the Battlefield as Early as 2027, Says Firm Testing Them in Ukraine

American startup Foundation Future Industries has sent two units of its Phantom MK-1 humanoid robot to Ukraine to test them in logistics and reconnaissance tasks in zones too dangerous for soldiers. The company says this marks the first documented use of a humanoid robot in an active war theater, and its CEO, Sankaet Pathak, says armed versions of the machine could enter testing as early as 2027.

Tests in a War Zone

According to reports cited by Euronews, the two Phantom units arrived in Ukraine as part of a pilot program backed by the US administration and carried out in cooperation with Ukrainian officials. The robots were tasked with transporting equipment and scouting terrain in locations where sending humans carries high risk, including mined or contaminated areas.

The Phantom MK-1 stands about 175 centimeters tall and weighs close to 80 kilograms. The company notes that its bipedal design lets it climb stairs, cross rubble and pass through doorways built for people, terrain where conventional tracked or wheeled robots struggle.

Armed Version Coming Next Year

The newer version of the machine, Phantom 2, is designed to be waterproof and dustproof, carry a payload of up to about 80 kilograms compared with 25-30 kilograms in the first generation, and withstand falls with impact loads close to 100 G, up from 12-15 G. It's powered by a 3-kilowatt-hour battery. Pathak says testing of the armed version could start as early as next year, with the company planning to produce 40 units this year, 10,000 in 2026, and as many as 50,000 by the end of 2027.

Leasing a single robot, in either the commercial or military version, is expected to cost about $100,000 a year, or roughly €90,000. Pathak stresses that Phantom will not be fully autonomous in decisions to use force. The company describes a model similar to today's military drones, in which the robot moves and navigates on its own while a human operator at base retains control over target selection.

Humanoid robots only make sense when the mission requires greater precision - Sankaet Pathak, CEO of Foundation Future Industries

Trump Money and Warren's Criticism

Foundation Future Industries has already signed a $24 million research contract with the Pentagon to test the robots on inspection, logistics and weapons-handling tasks for the US Army, Navy and Air Force. The company is advised by Eric Trump, son of President Donald Trump, who serves as a strategy advisor and, according to the company's statement, previously invested in it.

The president's family ties to a company seeking government contracts have drawn criticism from some lawmakers. Senator Elizabeth Warren has called the relationship between Foundation and the administration corruption.

Corruption in broad daylight - Elizabeth Warren, United States Senator

Law Lags Behind Technology

The United Nations has been negotiating a treaty on lethal autonomous weapons systems, known as LAWS, since 2023. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called such systems 'killer robots' and is pushing for a binding ban on their use. The organization set itself a 2026 deadline to reach an agreement, but talks are still dragging on.

No specific treaty currently governs the deployment of humanoid combat robots directly. Their use falls under the general rules of international humanitarian law, which was not written with machines capable of moving across a battlefield and interacting with their surroundings the way a human does in mind.

Pathak pushes back on concerns about the risks of autonomous weapons, arguing that if artificial intelligence were bent on mass destruction, drones or nuclear arsenals would be far more effective tools for that than humanoid robots limited by their speed and payload.

For Polish defense companies and government institutions watching the technological race on NATO's eastern flank, the Foundation case shows how quickly field trials can turn into real combat deployment. If the company's production plans hold up, the first armed humanoid robots could reach the front line far sooner than industry forecasts had assumed.