A Silicon Valley startup named Foundation is developing a humanoid robot designed for both industrial work and frontline combat. The company’s CEO, Sankaet Pathak, plans to build 50,000 of the 5’9″, 180-pound ‘Phantom’ robots by the end of 2027, with models explicitly configured to carry lethal weaponry for military use.
In a bold fusion of industrial automation and defense technology, a new player is entering the humanoid robotics race with an unprecedented scale and a direct focus on warfare. Foundation, a Silicon Valley startup led by CEO Sankaet Pathak, is developing the ‘Phantom’—a humanoid robot built for factories, but also explicitly designed to be a weaponized soldier. Pathak’s production target is staggering: 50,000 units rolling off the line by the end of 2027.
While most robotics firms focus on peaceful applications, Foundation is openly courting the U.S. military as a primary customer. “You should really work hard to give the U.S. military smarter tools so that they can be more effective,” Pathak stated in an interview. He is unambiguous about the robot’s combat role, explaining that to be effective in high-risk military operations, the robot cannot be passive. “If you’re first body in and you’re docile, then the enemies are not going to really expose themselves. So you have to be first body in and deadly,” he said, confirming plans to equip Phantom with an M4 Carbine.
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The company’s timeline is aggressive. Within just 18 months of founding, Foundation had a production-ready robot performing tasks at partner sites, a pace rivaling leaders like Apptronik. This speed was aided by strategic acquisitions in AI and next-generation actuators. The scaling plan is even more ambitious: 40 robots this year, 10,000 in 2026, and 40,000 in 2027. Pathak admits it’s an “extremely aggressive” goal but believes there’s a “non-zero chance” of success.
Foundation has assembled a formidable team to attempt this feat, recruiting top engineering and manufacturing talent from Tesla, 1X, Boston Dynamics, and SpaceX. “Our head of manufacturing is an ex-Tesla manufacturing director,” Pathak noted, emphasizing that hard-learned lessons about avoiding over-automation too soon are “baked in” to their approach.
The business model is based on leasing, not selling, the robots. Pathak believes success doesn’t require a vast customer base, but a few monumental deals. “We need like five really high quality large deals, and they can scope out to be hundreds of millions of dollars in annual recurring revenue purchase orders,” he explained.
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This dual-use strategy—marketing the same platform for both dangerous industrial jobs and combat—represents a significant evolution in humanoid robotics. It raises profound questions about the future of automation, warfare, and the speed at which lethal autonomous systems could be deployed. Whether Foundation hits its 50,000-robot target or not, its very public ambition signals that the era of humanoid robots on the battlefield may be closer than many think.
