Vulcan Elements Wins U.S. Army Contract to Supply Rare Earth Magnets for SkyFoundry Drone Program

Published: Sep 24, 2026 17:14 (GMT+8)

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【SMM Rare Earth Flash】 U.S. rare earth magnet manufacturer Vulcan Elements announced it has passed the U.S. Army's competitive selection to supply high-performance NdFeB magnets for the Army's SkyFoundry drone program. The program aims to produce 1 million small drones annually at Tobyhanna Army Depot, Pennsylvania, requiring a "fully domestic, vertically integrated manufacturing process." Vulcan claims to be the only rare earth magnet company globally fully decoupled from China across materials, technology, software, IP, and ownership. Its Benson, North Carolina plant under construction will have 10,000 t/y magnet capacity, becoming the largest rare earth magnet plant outside China and creating about 1,000 manufacturing jobs. This is Vulcan's 10th U.S. Department of War contract.

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