Helsing Unveils AI-Powered Attack Drone HX-2, Targeting NATO Allies

German AI company Helsing moves into attack drone market

German artificial intelligence (AI) and security company Helsing has launched its first strike drone, named HX-2. The move comes as the company attempts to take advantage of increasing interest in autonomous weapons, mainly because of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. The conflict has already marked the move from conventional military equipment, such as guns, tanks and munitions, to artificial intelligence and software-based weapons. Helsing's new drones are expected to be used as counter-invasion shields along country borders and against hostile ground forces. The drone can be mass-produced and is software-based, as well as swarm-capable. It has a range of up to 100km, and can be electrically-propelled. It is also capable of jamming resistance and full electronic warfare, due to sophisticated on-board artificial intelligence features. According to the company, the drones can be manufactured at a much lower unit cost than other traditional weapon systems, because of their ability to be mass-produced, especially with sophisticated techniques such as 3D printing. The production numbers can reach into tens of thousands annually. Several Hx-2 drones can combine into swarms and be controlled by only one human operator, when being deployed as part of the Altra recce/strike software. These drones can be used along with artillery systems, for an enhanced warfare strategy. Helsing is attempting to sell the HX-2 drone to NATO allies, including the UK, following the drone already being used in Ukraine. Niklas Köhler, co-founder of Helsing, said in a press release on the company's website: "With HX-2, we are creating a new smart effector category that combines mass, autonomy and precision. Individual HX-2s can reliably engage armoured targets in highly contested environments. "When deployed along borders at scale, HX-2 can serve as a powerful counter invasion shield against enemy land forces." Gundbert Scherf,co-founder of Helsing, also said in the press release: "NATO urgently requires technology to protect the integrity of the Eastern Flank. At Helsing, we've invested to develop this capability and give NATO an edge through precision mass. "HX-2 is providing autonomy through software and AI, while retaining full human control and oversight. Electronic warfare had threatened to erode the ability to act, and we are giving this ability back to operators."

European AI specialist Helsing unveils first attack drone

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. European defence technology start-up Helsing has unveiled its first attack drone as the AI specialist seeks to capitalise on rising demand for autonomous weapons driven by the war in Ukraine. The company is pitching its new drone, which is already being used in Ukraine, to the UK and other Nato allies. Helsing says it can produce tens of thousands of the AI-enabled drones a year at a lower cost than existing systems, using advanced manufacturing techniques such as 3D printing. Nato "urgently requires technology to protect the integrity of the eastern flank", said Gundbert Scherf, co-founder of Helsing, in reference to the military alliance's members in eastern and central Europe. The company believes that if deployed at scale along borders then the new drones, dubbed HX-2, will be able to act as a "counter-invasion shield" against enemy forces on the ground. Ukraine has underlined the shift in modern warfare from the use of traditional hardware such as tanks, guns and munitions to more software-defined technologies, in particular autonomous systems, to enable troops to outsmart the enemy. One of the challenges Ukraine's armed forces have encountered is Russian electromagnetic jamming, which disrupts GPS and communications between drones and their operators. Helsing said its HX-2 drones, which are able to fly up to 100km, will be equipped with software that will enable them to search for, re-identify and engage targets even without a signal or a continuous data connection. A human operator will retain control at all times. Helsing, founded in 2021, was valued at €4.95bn during its latest funding round in the summer, which was led by General Catalyst and included Accel and Lightspeed Venture Partners. The company has pledged to set up a manufacturing facility in the UK as part of a £350mn investment in the country over the next five years Helsing hopes to emerge as one of the winners from the British government's strategic defence review and plans for a new defence industrial strategy, which aims to include input from technology companies as well as the industry's traditional giants. Defence secretary John Healey, unveiling the plans for the new strategy on Monday, said the government needed to learn the lessons from Ukraine where the "pace of innovation is measured in weeks, not months". Helsing has already signed partnership deals with some of Europe's established defence contractors, including Germany's Rheinmetall and Sweden's Saab, to integrate AI into existing platforms such as fighter jets. The start-up is also working with Airbus on AI technologies that will be used in manned and unmanned systems.

AI Startup Helsing Is Now Making Attack Drones For Europe

Helsing became one of Europe's most valuable startups by building artificial intelligence software for drones and jet fighters. Now it's making weapons of its own. The company, most recently valued at €5 billion ($5.27 billion), has developed an attack drone, called HX-2, that can carry ammunition and navigate without the need for a pilot's instructions or GPS. Ultimately, Helsing imagines that escalating military tension will drive demand for thousands of these unmanned aircraft in Ukraine and along Europe's border with Russia.