NEO Battery Partners with Korean Drone Manufacturer to Develop & Supply High-Performance Battery Solutions
Press Release
First publicly disclosed drone customer follows positive testing and validation of Company's high-performance battery products within drone systems
Strategic collaboration to replace Chinese-manufactured batteries with NEO's products and deploy across Korean military procurement and solicitations
Multi-phase, recurring partnership to develop and supply high-performance battery solutions to customer's current and upcoming drone platforms
TORONTO, July 16, 2026 /CNW/ -- NEO Battery Materials Ltd. ("NEO" or the "Company") (TSXV: NBM) (OTC: NBMFF), a low-cost, silicon-enhanced battery manufacturer enabling high-performance capabilities for drones, robotics, and physical AI, is pleased to announce a defense partnership via a joint development agreement (JDA) signed on July 15, 2026, with Assetta Inc. ("Assetta" or the "Customer"), a South Korean drone and aerospace company, to develop and manufacture high-performance, non-Chinese battery products for Assetta's current and upcoming drone platforms.
The partnership represents NEO's first publicly disclosed drone customer and follows positive testing and validation of the Company's battery products within the Customer's drone systems. The strategic collaborative aim is to fully replace the Chinese-manufactured batteries used in Assetta's platforms today, advancing both companies' commitment to secure reliable supply chains free of Foreign Entities of Concern (FEOC) as defined by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).
"Following our evaluation, Assetta intends to strategically transition our current drone batteries to NEO's products and to deploy them primarily across our Korean defense contracts and solicitations, " said Mr. Hyung-Jun Kim, CEO of Assetta. " Within South Korea and Western-allied markets, NEO uniquely provides capabilities of end-to-end battery solutions and high-quality expertise from global battery makers that can flexibly adapt to changes in performance needs to meet the evolving needs of our products."
Assetta develops and manufactures military-grade, lightweight reconnaissance VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) systems, fibre-optic drones in collaboration with LS Cable & System (a subsidiary of the Korean conglomerate, LS Group), and relevant drone components and software. Serving dual-use markets, including precision agriculture, logistics, and surveying/mapping, Assetta was recently selected for the Republic of Korea Army's inaugural Drone Combat Challenge to test and evaluate Korean-made unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and counter-UAS (cUAS) technologies for battlefield deployment.
On a recurring basis, NEO will develop and supply system-specific battery solutions for Assetta's diverse suite of drone platforms. The project aims to deliver optimized products that enhance flight time, payload capacity, energy/power density, and overall operational efficiency, with the objective of creating cost-competitive alternatives through FEOC manufacturing. Assetta will conduct field testing and validation to expedite commercial integration of newly developed products.
"This agreement represents an operational advancement for a long-term customer relationship that we intend to scale alongside Assetta's innovations and upcoming production programs," said Mr. Spencer Huh, CEO of NEO. "The Company is gradually expanding its drone customer pipeline as part of the Korea Defense Integration Strategy. The go-to-market plans are not to form a plain supplier-vendor relationship, but NEO is employing a proactive approach in jointly collaborating to develop and supply long-range, high-power solutions that directly replace reliance on non-allied technologies."
About Assetta Inc.
Assetta is a specialized Korean aerospace company developing and manufacturing drone and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for defense and industrial purposes. Assetta retains various drone products from corrugated cardboard drones for stealth and deep infiltration combat environments, fixed-wing VTOL for long-range reconnaissance, surveillance, and map surveying, and fiber-optic/tethered drones. Assetta further specializes in components and software architecture for fleet automation. For more information, please visit the Company's website at: https://assetta.co.kr/
About NEO Battery Materials Ltd.
NEO Battery Materials is a Canadian-South Korean battery technology company focused on developing and producing silicon-enhanced lithium-ion batteries in drones, robotics, physical AI, electric vehicles, and energy storage systems. With a patent-protected, low-cost silicon manufacturing process, NEO Battery enables longer-running and ultra-fast charging properties and provides end-to-end battery solutions from materials selection, cell architecture, and process optimization. The Company aims to be a globally-leading producer of high-performance lithium-ion batteries and materials, building a secure, robust battery supply chain for Western manufacturers. For more information, please visit the Company's website at: https://www.neobatterymaterials.com/.
Noah Note: Oh NEO. You keep doing you buddy.