Guardian Metal Resources has formed a tungsten mining and recovery pilot alliance with the Montana Mining Association, Montana Technological University and the US Army Research Laboratory, using 250–400 tonnes of legacy ore from its Tempiute project in Nevada as initial feedstock. Ore will be trucked to a milling and processing facility in Philipsburg, Montana, to test upscaling of tungsten-rich tailings and stockpiles into tungsten metal powder for defence-grade penetrators and other US DoD applications. Guardian recently staked 193 additional claims at Tempiute, expanding its tailings footprint by over 375%, with first ore shipments targeted for late summer 2026 pending metallurgical and pilot-scale test work.

Ferreyros and Caterpillar are deploying Peru’s first underground autonomous loader fleet, introducing CAT R1600H low-profile LHDs with 10.5 t payload capacity at Volcan Compañía Minera operations. The autonomous R1600H units, designed for narrow-vein and low-back mining, will transition from commissioning to full production, integrating with existing underground traffic and manual fleets. For mine planners and engineers, the move signals growing readiness to automate load–haul cycles in constrained headings, with implications for traffic management, communications infrastructure and maintenance strategies.

Retired US Navy commander and Democratic congressional candidate Phil Ehr has resigned from NovaRed Mining’s advisory board after the Vancouver-listed copper explorer hired former US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem to help secure critical metals projects. NovaRed’s assets include the 160 sq. km Wilmac copper-gold property and the adjacent Lamont Ridge project in the Similkameen mining division, about 230 km east of Vancouver, with the company valued at about C$38 million after its share price rose nearly 15% to C$0.77. CEO Brian Goss said investors remain focused on North American critical minerals supply fundamentals despite political backlash in Canada.