September 03, 2026 – Vancouver, BC -- Defense Metals Corp. (TSXV: DEFN; OTCQB: DFMTF; FSE:35D) reported assay results from an initial eleven core drill holes totaling 1,633 metres at its 100%-owned Wicheeda Rare Earth Project near Prince George, British Columbia, with hole WI26-96 returning 2.86% Total Rare Earth Oxide (TREO) over 65 metres, including a higher-grade interval of 6.15% TREO over 20.3 metres.
Multiple drill holes confirm continuity of high-grade REE mineralization within PFS pit limits
Drill hole WI26-93 delivered 1.70% TREO over a 184-metre interval, including 2.52% TREO over 57 metres, cutting across the southern margin of the Wicheeda Deposit. Holes WI26-100 and WI26-102, collared 100 metres northwest of WI26-93, returned 2.40% TREO over 85 metres within a broader 1.55% TREO zone spanning 149 metres, and 3.25% TREO over 34.3 metres within a 2.62% TREO interval over 73.4 metres, respectively. TREO assays for the final 47 metres of WI26-102 remain pending.
Company targets resource classification uplift from 2025 Preliminary Feasibility Study
Robin Jones, Defense Metals VP Projects, said all eleven drill holes reported intersected significant widths of high- to moderate-grade REE mineralization within the pit confines defined by the 2025 Preliminary Feasibility Study, and are expected to contribute to a resource classification uplift. The infill drilling is designed to upgrade a significant tonnage of inferred resources, constrained within the PFS ultimate pit design, to indicated or better category.
2026 program comprises 31 holes totaling 5,345 metres across three drilling categories
The full 2026 Wicheeda drill program included 20 holes (3,136 metres) of resource upgrade and infill drilling, 7 holes (1,507 metres) of pit slope geotechnical drilling, and 4 holes (702 metres) of waste rock geochemical drilling. This release covers assay results for the first of 10 resource upgrade and infill holes plus one geotechnical hole (WI26-86) targeting the southern pit perimeter.
Remaining ten resource holes undergo analysis at ALS Canada laboratories
Analysis of the remaining ten resource upgrade and infill drill holes is underway at ALS Canada Ltd. laboratories in Vancouver, with results expected in the coming weeks. ALS conducted sample preparation in Langley and ICP-MS fusion analysis in Vancouver under ISO-IEC 17025:2017 and ISO 9001:2015 accreditation, with no significant QA/QC issues detected during data review.