Army Markets N42SH and N52SH Magnets for Small Drone Motors

The U.S. Army Contracting Command (ACC) issued a Sources Sought notice and Request for Information to identify companies interested in and capable of manufacturing and supplying commercial-grade rare-earth magnets for brushless DC motors in small uncrewed aircraft systems. The request specifies neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) arc-segment magnets in N52SH or N42SH grades. This is an early market-research step: it gives the Army information about supplier capability and the available industrial base, but does not itself establish a procurement, select a source, or commit funding. No contract value, award decision, or follow-on procurement timeline has been identified in the supplied information.

Evolution Metals & Technologies Corp. (EM&T) announced that it submitted a capability statement in response. The company says it can produce eight sintered NdFeB grades: N35SH, N42SH, N46SH, N48SH, N42H, N45H, N48M, and N50M. It reports commercially producing N42SH magnets at a facility in Pohang, Republic of Korea, where the grade has completed customer qualification. That reported customer qualification is not evidence that the Army has qualified EM&T’s product or selected the company. In its response, EM&T proposed a staged path to qualify magnets against Army specifications and an auditable mine-to-magnet traceability record for each production lot.

The response highlights two procurement issues suppliers can assess now: whether their magnet grades and manufacturing processes match the specified application, and whether they can substantiate material origin and production-lot history. EM&T tied its proposed traceability approach to DFARS 252.225-7052 sourcing requirements, whose stated expansion is scheduled for January 1, 2027—64 days after the current date of October 29, 2026. The available notice and company announcement do not provide detailed qualification criteria, evaluation factors, required documentation formats, or the precise scope of the upcoming regulatory change. Interested firms should therefore treat these as issues to monitor rather than assume that particular compliance evidence has already been prescribed.

EM&T also says it plans to expand annual magnet capacity at its Pohang facility from approximately 1,000 metric tons to approximately 10,000 metric tons, following installation and commissioning of 57 containers of ULVAC production equipment. The expansion is a company-reported plan, not demonstrated current output or U.S.-based manufacturing capacity. President Andrew Knaggs said: “We already make N42SH commercially, we know how to qualify grades for demanding customers, and we are scaling to approximately 10,000 metric tons in Pohang.” His statement signals the company’s positioning, but does not alter the status of the Army action as market research. For potential competitors and suppliers, the practical opportunity is to review the RFI, document relevant grade and production capabilities, and distinguish verified manufacturing location and qualification evidence from forward-looking capacity claims.

• Requirement: The Army is researching commercial-grade NdFeB arc-segment magnets for small uncrewed aircraft system brushless DC motors.
• Specified grades: The RFI identifies N52SH or N42SH; the supplied information does not state detailed test or qualification criteria.
• Procurement status: This is a Sources Sought/RFI, not an award or confirmed solicitation; no contract value or follow-on timeline is identified.
• EM&T response: The company says it submitted a capability statement and proposed staged qualification and auditable, lot-level mine-to-magnet traceability.
• Reported production location: EM&T says it commercially produces N42SH in Pohang, Republic of Korea; its response does not establish U.S.-based manufacturing.
• Product range: EM&T reports capability across eight sintered grades: N35SH, N42SH, N46SH, N48SH, N42H, N45H, N48M, and N50M.
• Capacity plan: EM&T says it plans to increase Pohang capacity from approximately 1,000 to 10,000 metric tons annually, contingent on installation and commissioning of 57 containers of ULVAC equipment.
• Compliance watch: The stated expansion of DFARS 252.225-7052 sourcing requirements is scheduled for January 1, 2027; suppliers should track the applicable requirements and prepare supportable origin records.
• Action for suppliers: Assess grade fit, production readiness, qualification evidence, manufacturing location, and lot-level traceability, while treating company statements as unverified by Army selection or qualification.