Sankaet Pathak, Founder and CEO of Foundation Future Industries, and Eric Trump, Executive Vice President of the Trump Organization, discuss battlefield robotics, national security risks and Chinese competition on ‘Mornings with Maria’.
The future of US defense is undergoing a high-tech revolution as the Pentagon has awarded a multi-million dollar contract to test heavy humanoid robots.
Foundation Future Industries recently won the $24 million contract for its “Phantom” robots, designed to breach enemy locations and save American lives. CEO Sankaet Pathak and chief strategy adviser Eric Trump argue the technology will help maintain America’s advantage on the battlefield.
“We are America First. We have to win this race,” Trump said Thursday on “Mornings with Maria.”
“The applications are limitless and I think it’s a very beautiful thing, but we have to win this race,” he added.
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A humanoid robot model known as Phantom, developed by Foundation Futures Industries, was tested. (Screenshot/Foundation Futures Industries website / Unknown)
Pathak noted that China has also been working on similar technology and has made progress in both land- and air-based autonomy. He said that while the US remains competitive in air warfare, this contract aims to strengthen its land-based preparedness.
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“You can’t build a utopia and then not defend it. That just doesn’t make sense,” Pathak said, adding, “There are a lot of people who want to destroy what exists in America.”
Eric Trump, executive vice president of the Trump Organization, attended the Bitcoin Asia conference on August 29, 2025 in Hong Kong, China. (Chan Long Hei/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Trump said he decided to invest in the company and the Phantom robot because of the pressure to outdo China. He noted that he has seen the robots in action and believes they could reshape military operations.
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The robots themselves are designed for strength and fluid movement. The Foundation website says the latest version of the technology has eliminated the ‘robotic’ feel, allowing them to better integrate into ‘human environments’.
A humanoid robot from Team Honor crossed the finish line during the Beijing E-Town Humanoid Robot Half Marathon on April 19, 2026 in Beijing, China. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images/Getty Images)
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The bot on the company’s website weighs 176 pounds and can move at a speed of 1.7 meters per second. Pathak said more technology is on the way, including Phantom 2. He also noted that the company believes the robots could serve industries other than defense, including construction and disaster relief.
“I think what we’re going to reveal in the coming months is there’s nothing like this,” Pathak told Fox Business. “I think it will be the strongest humanoid robot that exists anywhere in the world, including China.”
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