NEO Battery receives orders from Korean VTOL maker and Fortune 500 OEM

Canada NewsWire Received purchase orders for 34Ah drone battery packs and custom-engineered 22Ah products for integration into dual tilt-rotor VTOL unmanned aircraft Narma – Spin-off established by Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) , the primary R&D institute of Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) Recently contracted by the State of North Dakota's UAS Procurement Program for NDAA-compliant drone systems Purchase order from North American Fortune 500 automotive company to support battery manufacturing functions for advanced development project TORONTO , July 28, 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 it has received two separate purchase orders for its battery products and manufacturing services: one from Narma Inc. (" Narma " or the " Customer "), a South Korean surveillance, logistics, and agricultural drone manufacturer, and one from a North American Fortune 500 automotive company. Narma's order comprises NEO's 34Ah (ampere-hour) drone battery packs and a custom-engineered 22Ah pack for integration into its vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aircraft for validation purposes . Narma was established by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (" KARI "), the primary aerospace research and development organization of the Korea AeroSpace Administration (" KASA "), as a research spin-off company.

The Customer has successfully commercialized electric dual tilt-rotor drone technologies and has validated its products through partnerships, with a continued development focus on payload capacity, speed, and operational efficiency. Narma has indicated a procurement priority in reducing reliance on geographically concentrated supply chains while enhancing lithium-ion battery performance to realize extended flight times and payload capacity. Recently, the Customer was selected as an Award Vendor in both Small Lift and Medium Lift categories by the State of North Dakota's Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) procurement program .

To comply with the requirements of the U.S. National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the program, NEO aims to actively support Narma by supplying NDAA-compliant, non-Chinese/FEOC manufactured battery solutions . The second purchase order was received from a North American Fortune 500 automotive company in support of its advanced battery development initiative. Separate from end-to-end battery products, the Company is servicing certain battery manufacturing processes to the Fortune 500 customer as part of its contract manufacturing business .

In contrast to longer lead-time orders in the Company's pipeline, these purchase orders are for immediate production and delivery within the near term. " NEO is continuing to target various downstream verticals and customer profiles to expand business opportunities and create a robust sales pipeline. With NEO's distinct cell development and manufacturing expertise from global battery manufacturers, the Company is gaining adoption as not only a contract manufacturer but also a close collaborator on designing and optimizing end products and systems , " said Mr. Spencer Huh, CEO and President of NEO.

As announced on June 29, 2026, NEO entered into a Stock Purchase Agreement of its Korean subsidiary, NEO Battery Materials Korea Co., Ltd., with Automobile & PCB Inc. to strengthen ownership of its key operating asset (the "Transaction"). Pursuant to the 30-day timeline set out in Section 3.5 of TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) Policy 3.3, NEO provides updates that conditional acceptance has been received, and the Company is awaiting final acceptance to close the Transaction subject to fulfilling certain conditions required by the TSXV. About Narma Inc. Narma is the first spin-off company of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute to commercialize the tilt-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology.

Narma developed the first electric tilt-rotor drones, including the AF100-AED, AF100-AGRI, AF100-PATROL, AF100-SURVEY, and AF200-AMBULANCE models. These drones offer vertical take-off, high-speed flight, and long-distance travel capabilities, making them highly suitable for delivery and surveillance missions customized for users. For more information, please visit Narma's website at: https://www.narma.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/ . On Behalf of the Board of Directors Spencer Huh Director, President, and CEO This news release includes certain forward-looking statements as well as management's objectives, strategies, beliefs and intentions. All information contained herein that is not clearly historical in nature may constitute forward-looking information.

Generally, such forward-looking information can be identified notably by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: volatile stock prices; the general global markets and economic conditions; the possibility of write-downs and impairments; the risk associated with the research and development of battery-related technologies; the risk associated with the effectiveness and feasibility of battery material, electrode, and cell technologies that have not yet been tested or proven on commercial scale or under real-world operating conditions; the risks associated with battery-related manufacturing process scale-up, including maintaining consistent material, component, and cell quality, production yields, and process reproducibility at a pilot, semi-commercial, or commercial scale; the risks associated with compatibility of existing battery chemistries, formulations, components, or designs; unforeseen risks associated with entering into and maintaining collaborations, joint ventures, partnerships, or commercial contracts with battery cell manufacturers, original equipment manufacturers, and various companies in the global battery and downstream end-user supply chain; the risks associated with the failure to develop and produce commercially viable battery-related products or that technical goals may not be achieved within expected timelines or budgets under a joint development or collaboration; the risks associated with the Company's technologies and products not meeting performance requirements or customer specifications; the risks that prototype and pilot-scale products do not advance into commercially produced products or translate into commercial orders; the risk associated with battery components and cell purchase orders and offtake supply that may not be fulfilled in full, on time, or at all as actual revenue realization depends on delivery schedules, achievement of technical milestones, and customer acceptance and validation; the risk associated with losing official vendor registration or status with existing customers; counterparty risk upon delivery of prototype and commercial products; the risks associated with constructing, completing, securing, and financing pilot, semi-commercial, and commercial battery materials, components, and cell manufacturing facilities including the Canadian and South Korean facilities; the risks associated with potential delays or increased costs with site preparation, equipment procurement and installation, and facility commissioning; the risks associated with integrating silicon anode material production, electrode manufacturing, and cell assembly within a single operational cluster or the Company's business portfolio; the risks associated with supply chain disruptions or cost fluctuations in raw materials, processing chemicals, and additive prices, impacting production costs and commercial viability; the risks associated with uninsurable risks arising during the course of research, development and production; competition faced by the Company in securing experienced personnel, contracts and sales, and financing; access to adequate infrastructure and resources to support battery materials, components, and cell research and development activities; the risks associated with changes in the technology regulatory regime governing the Company; the risks associated with the timely execution of the Company's strategies and business plans; the risks associated with the lithium-ion battery industry and end-users' demand and adoption of the Company's silicon anode technology and battery products; market adoption and integration challenges, including the difficulty of incorporating silicon anodes and silicon battery products within battery manufacturers and OEMs' systems; the risks associated with the various environmental and political regulations the Company is subject to; risks related to regulatory and permitting delays; the reliance on key personnel; liquidity risks; the risk of litigation; risk management; and other risk factors as identified in the Company's recent Financial Statements and MD&A and in recent securities filings for the Company which are available on www.sedarplus.ca . Forward-looking information is based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable at the time such statements are made, including but not limited to, continued R&D and commercialization activities, no material adverse change in precursor, raw material, equipment, and relevant cost prices, development and commercialization plans to proceed in accordance with plans and such plans to achieve their stated expected outcomes, receipt of required regulatory approvals, and such other assumptions and factors as set out herein.

Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information. Such forward-looking information has been provided for the purpose of assisting investors in understanding the Company's business, operations, research and development, and commercialization plans and may not be appropriate for other purposes.

Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is made as of the date of this presentation, and the Company does not undertake to update such forward-looking information except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE NEO Battery Materials Ltd. View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/July2026/28/c8147.html Canada Newswire July 28, 2026 - 5:00 AM PDT News by QuoteMedia www.quotemedia.com