China Controls the Metal Inside Every Artillery Shell and Cutting Tool, and the West Is Racing to Map What It Has Left

Rhea-AI Summary

Western Star Resources (WSRIF) has begun a high-resolution drone magnetic survey at its 100%-owned Eagle Point tungsten project in Hidalgo County, New Mexico, as part of a broader push to delineate domestic tungsten resources amid tightening Chinese export controls and rising defense demand.

The UAV survey covers the property at 25–50 metre line spacing, aiming to map the limestone–granite contact and magnetite-bearing tactite bodies that host scheelite mineralisation, including beneath cover, and to extend eight historically known skarn bodies along strike. Data collection is expected to finish in about three weeks, with processing and interpretation to follow, feeding into geological mapping, sampling, drill targeting and permitting ahead of a planned maiden drill program in 2026.

The commentary also profiles sector players Almonty Industries (ALM), Guardian Metal Resources (GMTL), American Tungsten (TUNGF) and Vault Strategic Mining (KNXFF) as context for the emerging US-focused tungsten supply chain.

News Explained

The survey has commenced to sharpen drill targeting, but it does not establish a resource: the release says Eagle Point has no current mineral resource or reserve and that magnetic features are conceptual targets, not evidence of mineralization or economic viability.

Market Reaction – ALM

-3.95% $16.94

15m delay

-3.95% Vs previous close

$16.94 Last Price

$16.62 $18.20 Day Range

$4.89B Market Cap

1.1x Rel. Volume

Following this news, ALM has declined 3.95%, reflecting a moderate negative market reaction. Our momentum scanner has triggered 22 alerts so far, indicating elevated trading interest and price volatility. The stock is currently trading at $16.94.

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Market Context

ALM gained 8.2% after the August 11 earnings release, showing a history of strong responses to compa...

Analysis

ALM gained 8.2% after the August 11 earnings release, showing a history of strong responses to company-specific disclosures. Here, the survey article added sector context, while the absence of a resource remained material.

Key Figures

Project ownership: 100%-owned Survey line spacing: 25 to 50 metres Historical skarn bodies: Eight skarn bodies +2 more

5 metrics

Project ownership 100%-owned Eagle Point tungsten project

Survey line spacing 25 to 50 metres High-resolution UAV magnetic survey

Historical skarn bodies Eight skarn bodies Known from historical workings

Data acquisition timeline Approximately three weeks Expected survey completion

Planned drill program 2026 Maiden drill program at Eagle Point

Historical Context

5 past events · Latest: Aug 17 (Positive)

Pattern 5 events

Date	Event	Sentiment	24h Move	Catalyst
Aug 17	Share repurchase	Positive	+8.4%	Board authorized repurchases of up to 14.4 million shares and US$300 million.
Aug 11	2Q26 earnings	Positive	+8.2%	Revenue increased 498% year over year as mining income and adjusted EBITDA turned positive.
Jul 23	ASX delisting	Negative	-5.9%	ASX removal followed low CDI trading volumes and introduced post-delisting sale facilities.
Jul 17	TSX delisting	Positive	+1.2%	TSX delisting was announced while Nasdaq trading continued as the primary alternative market.
Jul 14	Offtake expansion	Positive	+5.2%	Offtake term, contracted volume, pricing, and annual revenue commitments were increased.

24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.

Pattern Detected

ALM's recent reactions generally aligned with the direction of company-specific announcements, with gains on positive disclosures and a decline following the ASX delisting announcement.

Key Terms

uav magnetic survey, tungsten skarn, scheelite mineralisation

3 terms

uav magnetic survey technical

"complete a high-resolution unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), or drone, magnetic survey"

A UAV magnetic survey uses a drone equipped with sensors to measure subtle variations in the Earth’s magnetic field over a target area, helping map underground rock types, structures, and potential mineral deposits without digging. For investors, these surveys are a faster, cheaper and safer way to identify promising exploration targets and reduce the time and cost of follow-up drilling, making early-stage resource updates and project risks easier to assess.

tungsten skarn technical

"the tungsten skarn belts of the American Southwest and Great Basin"

Tungsten skarn is a type of mineral deposit where tungsten-bearing minerals (commonly scheelite or wolframite) are concentrated in skarn — a hard, altered rock formed when hot, mineral-rich fluids from an underground intrusion chemically change nearby carbonate rocks such as limestone. For investors, it matters because skarn deposits often host high-grade, relatively compact zones of ore with predictable shapes, which can influence the size, cost and potential profitability of mining projects, much like finding rich veins in a rock.

scheelite mineralisation technical

"the magnetite-bearing tactite bodies that host scheelite mineralisation"

Occurrence of the mineral scheelite — a calcium tungstate mineral that is a common source of the metal tungsten — within rock, soil or ore bodies. For investors, scheelite mineralisation signals the presence of a potentially marketable metal (tungsten) in a mining prospect or deposit; like finding copper-colored veins in a rock that point to copper, identifying scheelite guides valuation, exploration priorities and the economics of a mining project.

AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

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Canada News Group News Commentary 

VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Tungsten does not get the headlines that lithium or rare earths do, but few metals are harder to live without. It is the hardest metal known, with the highest melting point of any, and it is effectively irreplaceable in the armor-piercing munitions, cutting tools, aerospace components, and industrial machinery that modern economies and militaries depend on. It is also one of the most concentrated supply chains on earth, dominated by China, which has moved to tighten exports of the metal and the technology to process it. That combination has turned a once-overlooked commodity into a national-security priority across the United States and its allies, and it has sent explorers back into the historic tungsten districts of the American West to find out, with modern tools, what a century of earlier mining left behind. Active companies from around the markets with current developments this week include: Western Star Resources Inc. (CSE: WSR) (OTC: WSRIF) (FRA: 4K2), Almonty Industries Inc. (Nasdaq: ALM), Guardian Metal Resources plc (NYSE American: GMTL), American Tungsten Corp. (OTCQB: TUNGF), and Vault Strategic Mining Corp. (OTC: KNXFF).

The strategic backdrop is what has changed the calculus. Tungsten sits near the top of the critical-minerals list of virtually every Western government, including the United States, precisely because its properties are so difficult to substitute and its supply so concentrated. With Chinese export controls tightening and defense demand rising, the incentive to identify and de-risk secure, domestic sources of the metal in stable mining jurisdictions has rarely been higher. That policy tailwind is drawing capital and attention back to past-producing districts that were mapped and mined long before tungsten became a security concern.

Nowhere is that revival more concrete than in the tungsten skarn belts of the American Southwest and Great Basin, where historic workings sit on ground that has never been evaluated with modern geophysics. Applying tools like high-resolution airborne magnetics to those old districts can reveal the geometry of the mineralized systems beneath cover, sharpening drill targeting in ways the original operators never could. More background on the sector is available through Canada News Group.

Modern Geophysics Comes to a Historic New Mexico Tungsten District

Western Star Resources Inc. (CSE: WSR) (OTC: WSRIF) (FRA: 4K2) recently announced that it has mobilised a geophysical field crew to its 100%-owned Eagle Point tungsten project in Hidalgo County, New Mexico, to complete a high-resolution unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), or drone, magnetic survey. The company describes Eagle Point as part of a growing strategic emphasis on tungsten and critical minerals in the United States, and the survey as a step designed to sharpen drill targeting ahead of a maiden drill program.

Key points from the company's disclosure include:

• The property-wide, high-resolution UAV magnetic survey has commenced at Eagle Point, designed to cover the property at 25 to 50 metre line spacing.
• The survey aims to define the geometry and extent of the limestone-intrusive contact and the magnetite-bearing tactite bodies that host scheelite mineralisation, including beneath cover, and to extend the eight skarn bodies known from historical workings along strike.
• It uses the same survey methodology and processing workflow that the company says delivered a district-scale three-dimensional inversion at its Rowland and White Star properties in Nevada.
• Most of the property has never been tested with modern geophysics; the only existing coverage is coarse-resolution, widely spaced regional government data. Data acquisition is expected to be completed in approximately three weeks, with processed products and interpretation to follow.

"Given the promising results obtained from the drone magnetic surveys at Rowland and Whitestar, we are moving forward with this strategy at Eagle Point," said Blake Morgan, CEO and President of Western Star, in the company's release. "The only existing geophysics covering the area is coarse-resolution, widely spaced regional government data. By utilizing the drone, we expect to map out the prospective limestone-granite contact in much greater detail. With the ongoing Eagle Point exploration program exceeding expectations so far, we wanted to immediately add that next layer before our maiden drill program in 2026. We also expect assays back from our second-phase exploration program at Rowland and Whitestar, alongside an update on the ongoing Eagle Point program."

The company has said results will be integrated with its planned geological mapping and sampling program to prioritise targets for drill testing and to support the drill-permitting process. Western Star has framed Eagle Point within a broader portfolio of past-producing tungsten assets in Nevada and New Mexico, alongside additional exploration exposure in British Columbia. Investors following the story can track it through the Canada News Group featured coverage of the company.

Continued... Read this and more news for Western Star Resources Inc. (CSE: WSR) (OTC: WSRIF) (FRA: 4K2) at: https://canadanewsgroup.com/pages/western-star/

In other industry developments and happenings in the tungsten market this week include:

Almonty Industries Inc. (Nasdaq: ALM)

Almonty Industries is one of the largest tungsten producers in the world outside China, anchored by its flagship Sangdong mine in South Korea, one of the largest and longest-life tungsten mines outside China. The company has positioned itself explicitly as a Western-aligned supplier of tungsten for the defense and industrial needs of the United States and its allies, making it the benchmark for what an at-scale, non-China tungsten supplier looks like.

Almonty has drawn significant investor attention in 2026 as Sangdong advances toward full production, and it recently expanded a long-term offtake agreement and concentrated its listing on the Nasdaq and Frankfurt. It is referenced to illustrate the scale and strategic positioning a tungsten producer can achieve, a far larger and more advanced company than an early-stage explorer, included here as sector context rather than as a comparable.

Guardian Metal Resources plc (NYSE American: GMTL)

Guardian Metal Resources is a US-focused strategic-minerals company advancing tungsten projects in Nevada, including its Pilot Mountain and Tempiute assets, positioning itself around the domestic-supply push for critical minerals. Its focus on advancing US tungsten projects makes it a closer stage-and-jurisdiction reference for a company evaluating past-producing tungsten ground in the American West.

Guardian Metal has continued to advance its US tungsten portfolio as government policy has increasingly favored domestic critical-minerals development. It is referenced only as sector context, a separate company with its own projects and stage, cited to illustrate the US tungsten-development theme rather than as a peer or financial comparable.

American Tungsten Corp. (OTCQB: TUNGF)

American Tungsten is advancing the past-producing Ima Mine in Lemhi County, Idaho, where it has been drilling to expand and better define a historic tungsten system, reporting significant intercepts and strike extensions along its vein network. Its focus on re-evaluating a historic, past-producing US tungsten mine with modern drilling makes it one of the closest analogues here to an explorer working historic tungsten ground.

American Tungsten has been among the more active US tungsten explorers in 2026, advancing resource-expansion drilling and metallurgical testwork at Ima while raising capital to fund the program. It is referenced only as market and sector context, a separate company with its own project, stage, and risk profile, and not as a comparable to the featured company.

Vault Strategic Mining Corp. (OTC: KNXFF)

Vault Strategic Mining is focused on its War Bond tungsten project in Nevada, a package that includes historical past-producing tungsten workings, and it has been advancing early exploration including sampling and geophysical work as it pursues a domestic US tungsten strategy. Like the featured company, its approach centers on re-evaluating historically productive tungsten ground with modern tools.

Vault has been actively exploring War Bond in 2026, reporting anomalous tungsten values from sampling as it works to define drill targets, while emphasizing the US move to secure domestic tungsten supply. It is referenced only as sector context, a separate early-stage company with its own project and jurisdiction, cited here only to illustrate the breadth of the US tungsten-revival theme.

Why the Tungsten Supply Squeeze Reaches an Old New Mexico Skarn

The thread connecting these companies is a single strategic reality: the West needs tungsten it does not currently control, and the response is playing out across every stage of the supply chain at once. At the top are established producers racing to expand non-China output; in the middle are US developers advancing defined projects toward decisions; and at the earliest stage are explorers putting modern geophysics and drills into historic, past-producing ground that the original operators evaluated with far cruder tools. Each survey that maps a century-old skarn system in modern detail, and each drill program that follows, is a small test of whether the West can rebuild a supply chain it largely ceded.

For an early-stage company, that backdrop is opportunity and risk in equal measure. Exploration is highly speculative, most projects never become mines, and a geophysical survey, however promising, is a targeting tool rather than a discovery or a mineral resource. This commentary describes a sector and the companies active within it, and is not a prediction about any company's stock or a recommendation of any kind. But with tungsten's strategic importance rising and modern geophysics now flying over a historic New Mexico district, the story is one worth following through the Canada News Group as results emerge.

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Article Sources:

[1] Western Star Resources Inc., "Western Star Mobilises High-Resolution Drone Magnetic Survey at the Eagle Point Tungsten Project, New Mexico," September 2, 2026 (survey scope, methodology, Eagle Point geology, program context, and management commentary), at www.westernstarresources.com. 

[2] Public disclosures and market data of the referenced companies (Almonty Industries, Guardian Metal Resources, American Tungsten, and Vault Strategic Mining) as cited in the body of this article.

[3] Industry and government sources on tungsten's critical-mineral status, supply concentration, export controls, and defense and industrial applications.

Canada News Group | editor@canadanewsgroup.com 

DISCLAIMER

Nothing in this publication should be considered personalized financial advice. We are not licensed under securities laws to address your particular financial situation, and no communication from us should be deemed personalized financial advice. Please consult a licensed financial advisor before making any investment decision. This is a paid advertisement and is neither an offer nor a recommendation to buy or sell any security. We hold no investment licenses and are neither licensed nor qualified to provide investment advice. The material in this release is intended to be strictly informational and is never to be construed or interpreted as research material. All readers are strongly urged to perform their own research and due diligence and to consult a licensed financial professional before considering any level of investing in stocks.

This article is being distributed by Canada News Group, which is wholly owned and operated by Market Equities Limited ("MEL"), a company incorporated under the laws of Ireland. MEL has been paid a fee directly by Western Star Resources Inc. for advertising and digital media. MEL also expects to receive further compensation in the future as part of an ongoing digital media effort to increase visibility for the company. This compensation constitutes a conflict of interest as to our ability to remain objective in our communication regarding the profiled company. Because of this conflict, individuals are strongly encouraged not to use this publication as the basis for any investment decision.

MEL and its owner(s) and operator(s) do not own any shares of Western Star Resources Inc., but reserve the right to buy and sell shares of Western Star Resources Inc. at any time without any further notice commencing immediately and ongoing, in the open market, through private placements, and/or through other investment vehicles. There may also be third parties who hold shares of Western Star Resources Inc. and may liquidate their shares, which could have a negative effect on the price of the stock.

While all information is believed to be reliable, it is not guaranteed by us to be accurate. Individuals should assume that all information contained in this publication is not trustworthy unless verified by their own independent research. Because events and circumstances frequently do not occur as expected, there will likely be differences between any predictions and actual results. Investors are cautioned that they may lose all or a portion of their investment when investing in stocks. This document is governed by the laws of Ireland.

References to Almonty Industries Inc., Guardian Metal Resources plc, American Tungsten Corp. and Vault Strategic Mining Corp. are provided solely as market and sector context. Those companies are not peers, competitors, or financial comparables of Western Star Resources Inc. They are at materially different stages of development and scale, operate different assets, and their production, resources, reserves, studies, financings, drill results and share performance are not indicative of Western Star Resources Inc.'s prospects. No partnership, affiliation, sponsorship, or endorsement is implied, and none of them has any involvement in Western Star Resources Inc., this article, or its distribution.

Readers are cautioned that mineral exploration is highly speculative and that most exploration projects do not result in a mine. The Eagle Point project has no current mineral resource or mineral reserve. A geophysical survey is an exploration-targeting tool only; magnetic anomalies and interpreted structural or contact features are conceptual exploration targets, are not evidence of mineralization, and do not indicate the presence, continuity, grade, or economic viability of any mineralization. Historical workings and the eight historical skarn bodies referenced have not been verified by the Company as current mineral resources and should not be relied upon as such. There is no certainty that the survey, subsequent mapping and sampling, or any planned drill program will define a mineral resource or lead to the development of a mine. Please refer to the Company's filings on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca for the assumptions and risk factors associated with its disclosure.

Eagle Eye is an investor signal-intelligence platform affiliated with the publisher of this article, and this reference constitutes promotion of an affiliated product. Eagle Eye is not a broker-dealer, and nothing in the platform or in this article is financial, investment, tax, or legal advice. Data provided in the platform is for informational purposes only and may be delayed.

This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies (including the Eagle Point UAV magnetic survey and its objectives, the integration of results into mapping and sampling, the drill-permitting process, the planned maiden drill program, and pending assays from Rowland and White Star) and are generally preceded by words such as "may", "will", "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "plans", "potential" or similar expressions. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected, including exploration and technical risks, the inability to verify historical data, financing and permitting risks, commodity-price risk, and other risks disclosed in the Company's filings on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are made as of the date hereof, and Canada News Group undertakes no obligation to update them except as required by law. The Canadian Securities Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of the underlying news release.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/china-controls-the-metal-inside-every-artillery-shell-and-cutting-tool-and-the-west-is-racing-to-map-what-it-has-left-302866853.html

SOURCE Canada News Group

FAQ

What exploration work did Western Star Resources (WSRIF) announce at the Eagle Point tungsten project?

Western Star Resources has mobilised a geophysical crew to conduct a property-wide, high-resolution UAV (drone) magnetic survey at its Eagle Point tungsten project in Hidalgo County, New Mexico. The company describes this as a key step to refine drill targets ahead of its planned maiden drill program.

What is the purpose of the drone magnetic survey at Western Star’s Eagle Point project (WSRIF)?

The UAV magnetic survey is designed to map the geometry and extent of the limestone–intrusive contact and magnetite-bearing tactite bodies that host scheelite mineralisation, including beneath cover, and to trace eight known skarn bodies along strike. Results are intended to improve drill targeting and support permitting.

How long will Western Star’s Eagle Point UAV magnetic survey (WSRIF) take and what happens next?

Data acquisition for the Eagle Point drone magnetic survey is expected to be completed in approximately three weeks. Processed products and interpretation will follow, and Western Star plans to integrate the results with geological mapping and sampling to prioritise drill targets and advance drill permitting.

How does the Eagle Point tungsten project fit into Western Star Resources’ (WSRIF) portfolio?

Western Star frames Eagle Point as part of a broader portfolio of past-producing tungsten assets in Nevada and New Mexico, complemented by additional exploration exposure in British Columbia. The company positions the project within the United States’ growing strategic emphasis on secure critical-mineral supply, including tungsten.

Why is tungsten supply, including projects like Eagle Point and companies such as ALM and GMTL, considered strategically important?

Tungsten is critical for armor-piercing munitions, cutting tools, aerospace components and industrial machinery, and supply is highly concentrated in China, which has tightened exports. Western projects and producers, including those advanced by companies like Almonty Industries and Guardian Metal Resources, are part of efforts to rebuild non-China supply.

What stage is Western Star’s Eagle Point tungsten project (WSRIF) at, and does it have a defined resource?

Eagle Point is an early-stage exploration project. It has no current mineral resource or mineral reserve, and the company emphasises that the geophysical survey is a targeting tool only. There is no certainty that the survey, mapping, sampling or any drill program will define an economic resource.

How are other tungsten companies like Almonty (ALM), Guardian Metal Resources (GMTL), American Tungsten (TUNGF) and Vault Strategic Mining (KNXFF) described in this context?

Almonty is highlighted as a large non-China tungsten producer anchored by its Sangdong mine. Guardian Metal Resources, American Tungsten and Vault Strategic Mining are cited as US-focused developers and explorers advancing tungsten projects, referenced solely as sector and market context rather than as peers or financial comparables to Western Star.