Ucore Rare Metals Inc. (TSX.V: UCU) (OTCQX: UURAF) Marks Key Federal Milestone for RapidSX Platform

Disseminated on behalf of Ucore Rare Metals Inc. (TSX.V: UCU) (OTCQX: UURAF) and may include paid advertising.

• Submission of report completes phase 1 of Ucore’s contract with the U.S. Department of Defense to demonstrate the technical capabilities of its RapidSX rare earth separation platform.
• The DoD has identified rare earth processing as a strategic priority under its industrial base strengthening initiatives.
• RapidSX combines aspects of conventional solvent extraction with modern column-based design to enable faster throughput, reduced footprint and potentially lower capital and operating costs.

Submitting a final technical report to a federal partner is more than a procedural step; it signals measurable progress in translating advanced technology into national supply chain capability. Ucore Rare Metals (TSX.V: UCU) (OTCQX: UURAF) recently announced that it has submitted its final phase 1 report to the U.S. Department of Defense [DoD] under its RapidSX(TM) rare earth processing project, marking a significant milestone in the company’s effort to commercialize its separation technology and support domestic rare earth independence.

“Breaking the Chinese advantages of state-backed processing capacity requires a 21st-century approach with digital manufacturing savvy and a reasonable deployment of capital,” said Ucore chair and CEO Pat Ryan, P.Eng. “The completion of the phase I report for the [Department of War] under our OTA and a path to commercialization with phase 2 financial support clearly shows processing independence has become a national security priority for the U.S. administration worthy of sustained investment.”

According to the company, the submission completes phase 1 of Ucore’s contract with the U.S. Department of Defense to demonstrate the technical capabilities of its RapidSX rare earth separation platform. The work has been conducted at Ucore’s RapidSX Commercialization and Demonstration Facility in Kingston, Ontario, which is designed to validate the scalability and efficiency of the company’s proprietary solvent extraction process. The completion of phase 1 positions Ucore to advance into subsequent stages of federal-supported development, subject to continued evaluation and funding decisions.

The importance of this milestone may be best understood within the broader context of rare earth supply chain vulnerabilities. The U.S. Geological Survey has reported that the United States remains significantly dependent on imports for rare earth elements, with China historically dominating global rare earth processing capacity. Rare earth elements are critical inputs for defense systems, electric vehicles, wind turbines, advanced electronics and other high-tech applications. The DoD has identified rare earth processing as a strategic priority under its industrial base strengthening initiatives, reflecting national security concerns about concentrated global supply chains.

Ucore’s RapidSX platform is designed to address this processing bottleneck. Traditional solvent extraction methods used to separate rare earth elements are capital intensive and often require large-scale facilities with complex multistage mixer-settler systems. According to Ucore, RapidSX combines aspects of conventional solvent extraction with modern column-based design to enable faster throughput, reduced footprint and potentially lower capital and operating costs. The company states that RapidSX aims to deliver separation performance comparable to traditional solvent extraction while offering a more modular and scalable solution.

In addition, RapidSX is engineered to separate individual rare earth oxides efficiently from mixed rare earth concentrates, a critical step in transforming mined material into usable end products. Rare earth processing involves the precise separation of chemically similar elements, such as neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium, which are essential for permanent magnets used in electric motors and defense technologies. By advancing RapidSX under a Department of Defense-supported program, Ucore is seeking to demonstrate that its platform can support the development of a North American rare earth processing supply chain.

The final phase 1 report submission indicates that Ucore has completed the defined technical objectives for this stage of the contract. While specific performance data were not disclosed, the company emphasized that the milestone reflects continued validation of the RapidSX system’s capabilities under government-supported testing protocols. The completion of phase 1 also reinforces the company’s progress toward commercialization and strengthens its credibility as a participant in federally supported critical minerals initiatives.

The company also reported on phase 2 of the agreement, which was executed last year, is currently underway, with 5 of 20 milestones completed to date. “Work under phase 2 of the agreement will culminate in the construction, commissioning and demonstration of one commercial-scale RapidSX machine at the company’s commercial processing facility in Alexandria, Louisiana,” the company stated. “Subsequent RapidSX machines installed in series will form the first stage of 2,500 tonnes per annum of total rare earth oxide processing for rare earth oxide production.”

Ucore’s broader strategy includes the development of its Louisiana Strategic Metals Complex, which the company envisions as a commercial rare earth processing facility in the United States. This facility is intended to utilize the RapidSX platform to process rare earth feedstock into separated oxides for domestic and allied customers. By pairing its technology development in Canada with planned processing operations in the United States, Ucore is positioning itself as a vertically integrated participant in the rare earth supply chain.

The submission of the final phase 1 report to the Department of Defense is therefore more than an administrative step. It represents tangible progress within a federally recognized effort to strengthen domestic processing capacity. In a sector where technological validation and government alignment are critical to attracting investment and advancing commercialization, meeting contractual milestones can play a decisive role in shaping future funding opportunities and partnership development.

As global competition for critical minerals intensifies and governments prioritize supply chain security, technologies capable of improving efficiency and scalability in rare earth processing will likely attract continued attention. Ucore’s RapidSX platform, now advancing beyond its initial DoD-supported phase, stands at the intersection of technological innovation and national strategic policy. The completion of phase 1 positions the company to continue demonstrating its role in building a more resilient North American rare earth supply chain, one milestone at a time.

For more information, visit www.Ucore.com.

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