First Tellurium Subsidiary PyroDelta Energy Competing in US Department of Defense Drone Innovation Contest

(TheNewswire)

US$6.5 million competition seeks novel drone designsthat can carry payloads heavier than their weight.

Vancouver, BC, Canada, January 15,2026 – TheNewswire -First Tellurium Corp. (CSE: FTEL, OTC:FSTTF)reports that its majority-owned subsidiary PyroDelta Energy Inc. hasentered the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) DARPA LiftChallenge, a US$6.5 millioncompetition seeking novel drone designs that can that can solve one ofvertical heavy lift aviation's toughest problems: thepayload-to-weight ratio. DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research ProjectsAgency, brings together scientists,engineers, and tinkerers across the innovation ecosystem to push thebounds of technological possibility.

Through the Lift Challenge, DARPA hopes torevolutionize the way drones are used in defense, agriculture,construction, logistics and beyond. The contest can also providecompetitors with unmatched national exposure and a legacy as a pioneerin drone technology.

“I’m confident we can meet the contest’schallenging requirements,” said PyroDelta Head Engineer MichaelAbdelmaseh. “By combining our thermoelectric technology with arevolutionary design developed through ongoing R&D, we believe wecan achieve an unparalleled payload-to-weight ratio for the droneindustry and be highly competitive.”

Abdelmaseh, a Certified Remote Pilot with the U.S.Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), will fly PyroDelta’s drone inthe competition, scheduled for summer of 2026. The date and locationof the competition will be announced later this year.

“We have been amazed by PyroDelta’s recentadvancements in drone design,” said First Tellurium President andCEO Tyrone Docherty. “The DARPA Lift Challenge has provided a timelyplatform for testing and showcasing these advancements. Based on whatI’ve seen to date, I share Michael’s confidence in our ability tobe very competitive in this contest.”

About First Tellurium Corp.

First Tellurium’s unique business model is togenerate revenue and value through mineral discovery, projectdevelopment, project generation and development of tellurium-basedtechnologies.

First Tellurium is listed on the Canadian SecuritiesExchange under the symbol “FTEL” and on the OTC under the symbol“FSTTF”. Further information about FTEL and its projects can befound at www.firsttellurium.com.

Neither theCanadian Securities Exchange nor its regulations services acceptresponsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-lookinginformation

All statements included in thispress release that address activities, events or developments that theCompany expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in thefuture are forward-looking statements.  These forward-lookingstatements involve numerous assumptions made by the Company based onits experience, perception of historical trends, current conditions,expected future developments and other factors it believes areappropriate in the circumstances. In addition, these statementsinvolve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties thatcontribute to the possibility that the predictions, forecasts,projections and other forward-looking statements will proveinaccurate, certain of which are beyond the Company’s control. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-lookingstatements.  Except as required by law, the Company does not intendto revise or update these forward-looking statements after the datehereof or revise them to reflect the occurrence of futureunanticipated event.

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