Aim-listed Guardian Metal Resources, a recent US Department of Defense (DoD) award recipient, on Monday announced the further expansion of its Tempiute tungsten project, in Nevada.

Formerly known as the Emerson tungsten mine, Tempiute is located about 420 km from the company's Pilot Mountain tungsten mine.

As part of its ongoing evaluation of Tempiute – historically one of the top tungsten-producing mines in the US – Guardian identified multiple zones of exposed tungsten mineralisation adjacent to the existing Tempiute land holding.

The company acquired these mineralised zones through a direct purchase agreement covering 18 Bureau of Land Management (BLM) unpatented lode mining claims, one BLM placer claim, and three BLM mill site claims. Notably, the lode claims cover the historical Schofield openpit mine.

"The acquisition of these subsurface rights is another very positive step towards unlocking the full potential of the Tempiute district. The newly purchased claims provide royalty-free ownership of the historical openpit Schofield mine and further expand the overall footprint of the Tempiute project," said Guardian CEO Oliver Friesen.

"Building on last week's significant progress, we are now well-positioned to rapidly expand operations at Tempiute. With this key ground now secured, investors can look forward to a steady stream of news in the months ahead as multiple geophysical surveys commence and the company launches its inaugural diamond drilling campaign at Tempiute.

Guardian is advancing the Tempiute project in parallel with Pilot Mountain, towards its ultimate goal of providing the US with a domestically mined source of tungsten.

Last week, Guardian announced it had secured a total of $27.2-million in funding to accelerate development of its two projects, including a $6.2-million award from the DoD and a $21.0-million equity raise backed by its largest shareholder.

Through its wholly owned US subsidiary, Golden Metal Resources, the company received a nondilutive grant under Title III of the Defense Production Act to support advancement of the Pilot Mountain project. The funding will be used to fast-track a prefeasibility study (PFS), along with key environmental studies needed to progress the site toward production. 

The DoD funding comes with no commercial covenants that would affect Guardian Metal’s operations or potential future sales of tungsten concentrates.

“This award is a step-change in our business, as we work towards our goal of supporting the US industrial base with Mined in America tungsten,” Friesen said.

Alongside the government funding, Guardian also raised about £15.6-million ($21.0-million) through an equity placement at £0.60 a share. The fundraising was led by existing major shareholder Ucam, which subscribed for £10-million ($13.5-million), increasing its stake in the company to about 28.7%.

The combined funds will support resource drilling, metallurgical testing, engineering studies, and permitting at both the Pilot Mountain and Tempiute projects. The company plans to complete the bulk of this work during the first half of 2026, culminating in an advanced PFS for Pilot Mountain that incorporates both the Desert Scheelite deposit and the Garnet zone.