German defense firm Helsing announced on Thursday that it will manufacture 6,000 of its new AI-enabled HX-2 strike drones for Ukraine. The company has also completed its first facility for mass production of these munitions.
The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has significantly transformed warfare, enhancing military forces’ surveillance and strike capabilities through drone utilization. However, Europe has faced challenges in ramping up domestic production to meet these needs.
Helsing stated that its Resilience Factory, located in southern Germany, represents the first of its “high-efficiency production facilities.” These facilities are designed to provide nation-states with local and sovereign manufacturing capacities for drones. Moreover, Helsing plans to establish additional facilities across Europe that can scale manufacturing rates to tens of thousands of units in the event of a conflict.
The southern Germany facility boasts an initial monthly production capacity of over 1,000 HX-2 strike drones, which were unveiled at the end of 2022. The drones are equipped with onboard AI, enabling them to travel distances of 100 kilometers (60 miles), withstand electronic warfare measures, and be operated in swarms.
According to Helsing, the HX-2 has been engineered to be mass-producible at a significantly lower unit cost compared to conventional systems, effectively addressing the emerging capability gap in modern land warfare. The order for HX-2 drones follows an earlier order by Ukraine for 4,000 of Helsing’s HF-1 attack drones, which are currently being delivered.
