Foundation Future Industries is in talks to send up to 1,000 Phantom MK1 humanoid robots to patrol Hamas tunnels in Gaza.
The San Francisco-based robotics firm is in direct talks with senior Israeli military officials to supply the units for underground patrol work.
Company co-founder and president Mike LeBlanc said he met in September with senior officers in the Israel Defense Forces and toured Gaza tunnels alongside a Phantom MK1 machine. Mike LeBlanc served previously in the United States Marine Corps and has also worked as a senior procurement official at the Pentagon.
LeBlanc said that the business maintains direct communication with the chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces. The discussions center on deploying machines capable of engaging in combat, neutralising booby traps and detecting trip wires.
Each unit carries a price tag around $150,000. Operating in the subterranean passageways, the technology aims to clear routes and handle hazardous missions instead of human personnel. LeBlanc described combat as the most noble calling while addressing the potential military applications.
“We are in direct talks with the Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces,” LeBlanc told the Financial Times.
The firm was established in 2024. Donald Trump’s son Eric holds an equity stake in the enterprise and serves as its chief strategic adviser following an appointment in March. Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. also back defense firms through specialized investment vehicles via Dominari Holdings, which maintains its offices inside Trump Tower and lists both brothers on its advisory board.
LeBlanc described the president’s son as “having a very strong technical sense”. He added that “he [Eric Trump] likes to talk about the robots, he likes to ask questions about the robots… he was of great value as an advisor.”
A spokesman for Eric Trump defended the arrangement, stating that the president’s son has “no involvement in the management, operation, strategic decisions or commercial activities of Foundation, including solicitation, negotiation, procurement or execution of any government contracts”.
The representative added that he had “never presented Foundation to any government agency and did not participate in negotiations for any government contracts. All engagement decisions are made independently by Foundation management without his involvement or influence.” LeBlanc likewise asserted that the involvement of the president’s son played no role in securing corporate contracts, stating that he handles the commercial agreements himself and never invoked Eric Trump’s name during meetings.
At the same time, LeBlanc said that he anticipates testifying before Congress and that associates tied to the Trump family face significant and legitimate inquiries.
Representatives for Foundation Future Industries also issued statements distancing the company from an active military supply agreement.
A corporate spokesperson maintained that “Foundation Future Industries does not work with the Israel Defense Forces and has not supplied any robots to the IDF.” The firm added that conversations remained exploratory, noting that the enterprise holds no contract or formal agreement with either the Israel Defense Forces or the Israeli Ministry of Defense.
Technical evaluations of the hardware continue alongside the diplomatic talks.
