German firm to supply Ukraine with 6,000 AI-powered kamikaze drones

BERLIN

German defense technology company Helsing announced Thursday it will manufacture 6,000 advanced HX-2 kamikaze drones for Ukraine.

The newly developed HX-2 strike drone represents a technological leap forward, boasting a 100-kilometer range, 12-kilogram payload capacity, and speeds of up to 220 kilometers per hour.

The system's artificial intelligence capabilities enable it to operate effectively despite electronic warfare countermeasures and challenging weather conditions, according to the company.

“We are scaling up production of HX-2 in response to additional orders from Ukraine, where precision mass is offsetting a numerical disadvantage in legacy systems on a daily basis,” said Gundbert Scherf, co-founder of Helsing. “It is clear that NATO has important lessons to learn, and fast.”

The drones, manufactured in southern Germany, can carry multi-purpose and anti-tank ammunition, enabling strikes against various military targets including artillery systems, tanks, and command posts.

Production will utilize Helsing's “Resilience Factories” concept, with an initial monthly capacity of 1,000 units. “We are taking a distributed approach towards mass manufacturing these systems across Europe, allowing individual nation states to produce locally and ensure sovereignty of production and supply chain,” Scherf added.

The company expects to complete the full delivery within 2025, marking a significant enhancement to Ukraine's drone warfare capabilities.