Helsing HX-2

Helsing describes HX-2 as a strike drone with 100 km range, onboard terrain matching and automatic target recognition, according to its technical briefing covered by Hartpunkt; Militarnyi reports electric propulsion. Ukrainian strike footage was documented by Defense Express, and Germany is a contracted customer, the Bundeswehr states.

Overview

Helsing specifies a 100 km range, 12 kg system weight and payloads of up to 4 kg for HX-2, with terrain matching, automatic target recognition and terminal tracking, according to its technical briefing covered by Hartpunkt. Militarnyi reported four electric motors and a 2.5 kg warhead in July 2026; the article did not explain the relationship between that warhead mass and Helsing’s maximum-payload specification. Helsing sales vice-president Simon Brünjes said qualification units had reached Ukraine by July 2025, with operational use forthcoming, Hartpunkt reported. The Defense Post subsequently reported frontline trial problems documented in November 2025, which Helsing disputed. Defense Express reported Ukrainian strike footage in April 2026, without establishing the date of first operational use or an overall combat hit rate. US Army evaluation at Pabradė Training Area in Lithuania took place in May 2026 and produced 15 direct hits and two near-misses from 17 drones, as documented by Axios and Calibre Defence. Germany signed its Helsing purchase contract on 26 February 2026, with Panzerbrigade 45 in Lithuania to receive the capability from 2027, the Bundeswehr states.

🔒 The full Helsing HX-2 file is for BattlePolicy Pro members. Below the line: development history, design and capabilities, variants, the combat record, advantages and limitations, comparable systems, outlook, the full specifications table, our sourcing, and the analyst assessment: procurement, suppliers and the BattlePolicy verdict. Unlock the full file with BattlePolicy Pro →

Latest developments

• 2026-10-26: Helsing Enters Missile Air Defence With CONTRA and Two Sub-€100,000 Interceptors
• 2026-10-13: Helsing Claims 39 of 41 HX-2 Hits in NATO Trials as a Bundeswehr Qualification Deadline Nears
• 2026-09-04: Helsing's HX-2 Combat Footage Shifts the Scrutiny to the Factory
• 2026-08-17: Japan's Army Is Testing Helsing's HX-2. An E-Commerce Group Got It in the Door.
• 2026-07-22: A 160-year-old engine maker in Ulm is building Germany's newest battlefield robot

Development

Helsing was founded in Munich in 2021 by Niklas Köhler and Gundbert Scherf, initially focused on defence AI software. Its first hardware venture, the HF-1 loitering munition, was co-developed with Ukrainian partner Terminal Autonomy and entered Ukrainian combat use by 2023. Roughly 1,950 HF-1 units were delivered to Ukraine by July 2025, according to the Odessa Journal. The HX-2 itself was publicly unveiled on 2 December 2024 in London, with Helsing stating the core technology had already been “developed and tested in Ukraine” Helsing. Helsing announced production of 6,000 HX-2s for Ukraine on 13 February 2025, separate from the preceding 4,000 HF-1 order, without disclosing an HX-2 contract value or completed delivery of all 6,000. Helsing announced a €600 million Series D on 17 June 2025, initially subject to approvals, and announced a completed US$1.8 billion Series E at an US$18 billion valuation on 13 July 2026. Defense Express reported footage of Ukrainian HX-2 launches and strikes in April 2026. Helsing announced a launch from a fast insertion craft off Plymouth on 7 May 2026; Militarnyi described the bow-mounted catapult without identifying a separately designated production variant.

Design & capabilities

Helsing described HX-2 navigation using a downward-facing camera to match terrain against a stored digital map, automatic target recognition and terminal tracking at its July 2025 briefing, Hartpunkt reported. The company retained the engagement decision with the human operator and specified 100 km range, 12 kg system weight, up to 220 km/h during terminal approach and payloads of up to 4 kg, according to Hartpunkt. Its disclosed payload compartment accommodates components 310 mm long and up to 110 mm in calibre, rather than defining the overall airframe dimensions, according to the same Helsing briefing covered by Hartpunkt. Militarnyi listed four electric motors and a 2.5 kg warhead in July 2026; that warhead figure differs from Helsing’s earlier maximum-payload specification, and the relationship between the two masses was not disclosed. Army chief technology officer Alex Miller told Axios that US soldiers used HX-2 for reconnaissance and strike, with onboard computer vision finding and tracking targets under jamming. In a November 2025 interview, Helsing co-CEO Niklas Köhler described catapult launch and pneumatic launch from reusable boxes attachable to combat vehicles, with a portable transport/launch unit under development, Hartpunkt reported. Köhler described automatic exploitation of target weak points and responses to defensive obscuration as future software improvements in that Hartpunkt interview.

Variants

• Maritime-launch demonstration: Helsing announced a launch from a fast insertion craft off Plymouth on 7 May 2026; Militarnyi described a bow-mounted catapult, without identifying a separately designated production variant or naval procurement.

• HF-1: Predecessor co-developed with Ukrainian Terminal Autonomy; ~1,950 delivered by July 2025, sharing the Altra software stack.
• HX-2: The baseline production model (this entry), introduced December 2024.
• Maritime-launch variant: Demonstrated from a coastal vessel off Plymouth in May 2026, extending the launch envelope to littoral platforms Militarnyi. Helsing also fielded the separate CA-1 Electronic Attack autonomous aircraft in June 2026, but this is not an HX-2 variant.

Combat record / operational use

Helsing sales vice-president Simon Brünjes said exact HX-2 qualification units had reached Ukraine by July 2025, with operational use forthcoming, Hartpunkt reported. The Defense Post subsequently reported frontline technical problems recorded in a German military presentation dated 20 November 2025, while documenting Helsing’s rejection of the findings. Militarnyi published photographs of HX-2 remains held by Russian personnel on 2 March 2026, captioning the images as taken in Ukraine in February. In April 2026, Defense Express reported footage from the Inquisition Battalion of the 59th Assault Brigade, Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces, showing catapult launches and strikes on Russian tanks, self-propelled artillery and trucks; the outlet noted that footage containing only successes could not establish an overall hit rate. The US Army places Project Flytrap in Lithuania in April–May 2026, and Calibre Defence places the HX-2 evaluation at Pabradė Training Area in May. The exercise result was 15 direct hits and two near-misses from 17 drones, documented by Axios and Calibre Defence. Army chief technology officer Alex Miller told Axios that soldiers also used HX-2 for reconnaissance and target tracking under jamming. On 15 July 2026, Helsing said thousands of HX-2s had been deployed to Ukraine’s armed forces since the beginning of the year and claimed the system supported “Logistics Lockdown” against Russian logistics, without providing an exact delivery count or quantified operational effect. A 59th Assault Brigade crew member described five to seven launches on an intensive day and use against artillery, armoured vehicles and ammunition depots in an Army TV interview summarized by Militarnyi on 31 July 2026.

Advantages

• Helsing described terrain matching against a stored digital map, automatic target recognition and terminal tracking at its July 2025 briefing, according to Hartpunkt.
• US soldiers used HX-2 for reconnaissance and strike under jamming, Army chief technology officer Alex Miller told Axios.
• Helsing specified a 100 km range and 12 kg system weight, with the human operator retaining the engagement decision, Hartpunkt reported from its technical briefing.
• Helsing disclosed pneumatic launch from reusable boxes attachable to combat vehicles alongside catapult launch, according to Hartpunkt, and announced a launch from a fast insertion craft in May 2026.
• Germany’s purchase contracts require continuing modernization through innovation clauses, the Bundeswehr states.

Drawbacks / limitations

• The Defense Post reported launch failures, missing AI terminal-guidance/navigation/target-acquisition components, disrupted operator communications and suspended further orders by Ukraine and Germany, citing a German military presentation dated 20 November 2025; Helsing disputed the findings.
• Militarnyi reported WELT’s account of a Ukrainian document recording five target hits from 14 attempts, with video-transmission, target-acquisition and operator-control problems; the underlying document was unavailable for independent examination, and the figure describes that engagement sample.
• Helsing co-CEO Niklas Köhler described automatic exploitation of target weak points and responses to defensive obscuration as future software improvements in his November 2025 interview with Hartpunkt.
• Helsing specified up to 4 kg of payload in its July 2025 briefing covered by Hartpunkt, while Militarnyi listed a 2.5 kg warhead in July 2026; the relationship between the maximum-payload and warhead figures was not disclosed.
• Germany’s contracts permit termination if defined performance milestones are missed, the Bundeswehr states; Europäische Sicherheit & Technik reported a September 2026 development and qualification deadline without establishing successful completion.

Counterparts

• Shahed-136 (Iran/Russia) — strategic-range one-way attack drone; heavier warhead, lower precision, simpler navigation.
• Lancet (Russia) — front-line loitering munition with battle-proven accuracy; 40 km range, 3–5 kg warhead, older guidance without AI-based GNSS-denied navigation.

Outlook

Germany’s signed purchase contracts provide for Panzerbrigade 45 in Lithuania to receive the reconnaissance–strike capability from 2027, with termination rights tied to performance milestones and obligations for continuing modernization, the Bundeswehr states. Hartpunkt reported that serial-system drawdowns required successful demonstration and that options beyond firm orders required further parliamentary budget approval. The West Virginia governor’s office announced an initial $50 million investment for a planned HX-2 factory in Martinsburg on 13 July 2026, and Helsing specified future capacity exceeding 2,000 drones per month once fully operational. Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force was evaluating HX-2 in field tests scheduled through the end of September 2026, with Rakuten brokering a prospective sale, Reuters reported in its account reproduced by Defense News. Reuters disclosed no quantity, contract value, completed qualification result or operational adoption in that report.

Key specifications

Sources

1. Helsing – “Helsing unveils intelligent strike drone for mass and precision.” https://helsing.ai/newsroom/helsing-unveils-intelligent-strike-drone-for-mass-and-precision
2. Helsing – “Helsing to produce 6,000 additional strike drones for Ukraine.” 13 February 2025. https://helsing.ai/newsroom/helsing-to-produce-6000-additional-strike-drones-for-ukraine
3. Hartpunkt – “HX-2 – Frankreich, Deutschland und Großbritannien testen Strike-Drohne von Helsing.” 10 July 2025. https://www.hartpunkt.de/hx-2-frankreich-deutschland-und-grossbritannien-testen-strike-drohne-von-helsing/
4. RBC-Ukraine – “Germany supplying Ukraine with drones similar to Russia’s Lancet.” 12 November 2025. https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/germany-supplying-ukraine-with-drones-similar-1762925954.html
5. The Defense Post – “Ukraine, Germany Pause Further Helsing HX-2 Drone Orders After Technical Issues.” 20 January 2026; later editor’s note records Helsing’s dispute. https://thedefensepost.com/2026/01/20/ukraine-pause-helsing-hx2/
6. Militarnyi – “WELT: German HX-2 Drones in Ukraine Prove Only 35% Accurate.” 29 January 2026. https://militarnyi.com/en/news/welt-german-hx-2-drones-in-ukraine-prove-only-35-accurate/
7. Helsing – “Statement from Helsing.” 19 January 2026. https://helsing.ai/newsroom/statement-from-helsing
8. Defense Express – “Ukraine Deploys German HX-2 Drones, Proving Effective Despite EW Vulnerability.” 9 April 2026. https://en.defence-ua.com/news/ukraine_deploys_german_hx_2_drones_proving_effective_despite_ew_concerns-18106.html
9. Militarnyi – “Russians Begin Complaining About German HX-2 Drone Strikes.” 2 March 2026. https://militarnyi.com/en/news/russians-complaining-german-hx-2-drones/
10. Militarnyi – “Up to Seven Sorties Per Crew: 59th Brigade Explains How HX-2 Drones Are Being Used.” 31 July 2026. https://militarnyi.com/en/news/up-to-seven-sorties-per-crew-59th-brigade-explains-how-hx-2-drones-are-being-used/
11. Helsing – “Helsing appoints Andriy Shevchenko as Managing Director for Ukraine.” 15 July 2026. https://helsing.ai/newsroom/helsing-appoints-andriy-shevchenko-as-managing-director-for-ukraine
12. Bundeswehr – “Loitering Munition: Gamechanger für die Bundeswehr.” 2 June 2026. https://www.bundeswehr.de/de/ausruestung-technik-bundeswehr/loitering-munition
13. Hartpunkt – “Volle Beschaffung von Loitering Munition erst nach Preisprüfung möglich.” 25 February 2026. https://www.hartpunkt.de/loitering-munition-bundeswehr/
14. Europäische Sicherheit & Technik – “Verträge zur Beschaffung von Loitering Munition Systemen geschlossen.” 5 March 2026. https://esut.de/2026/03/meldungen/68704/vertraege-zur-beschaffung-von-loitering-munition-systemen-geschlossen/
15. US Army – “Defeating the swarm: Project Flytrap accelerates NATO’s counter-drone lethality.” 18 May 2026. https://www.army.mil/article/292622/defeating_the_swarm_project_flytrap_accelerates_natos_counter_drone_lethality
16. Axios – “U.S. troops test German-made Helsing attack drones in Europe.” 9 June 2026. https://www.axios.com/2026/06/09/helsing-drones-ai-army-flytrap
17. Calibre Defence – “US Army tests Helsing’s HX-2 strike drone during Flytrap 5.0.” 13 July 2026. https://www.calibredefence.co.uk/us-army-tests-helsings-hx-2-strike-drone-during-flytrap-5-0/
18. Helsing, official X account – First HX-2 coastal-vessel launch announcement. 7 May 2026. https://x.com/HelsingAI/status/2052312247670587476
19. Militarnyi – “Adaptation of German HX-2 Drone for Launch From Maritime Platforms.” 9 May 2026. https://militarnyi.com/en/news/german-hx-2-drone-launch-from-sea-platforms/
20. Helsing, official LinkedIn post – “Our second German resilience factory is now live.” Exact publication date not displayed; accessed 2 October 2026. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/our-second-german-resilience-factory-is-now-ugcPost-7429453713263493120-Ci6V/
21. Resilience Media – “Helsing’s second German Resilience factory is live.” 17 February 2026. https://resiliencemedia.co/helsings-second-german-resilience-factory-is-live/
22. West Virginia Office of the Governor – “Governor Morrisey Announces $50 Million Helsing Investment in Berkeley County, Creating High-Paying Defense Manufacturing Jobs.” 13 July 2026. https://governor.wv.gov/article/governor-morrisey-announces-50-million-helsing-investment-berkeley-county-creating-high
23. Helsing – “Helsing Expands U.S. Market, Selecting West Virginia For Its First U.S. Resilience Factory.” 14 July 2026. https://helsing.ai/newsroom/helsing-expands-us-market-selecting-west-virginia-for-its-first-u-s-resilience-factory
24. Helsing – “Helsing and EURENCO sign partnership to deliver a sovereign European strike drone capability.” 17 June 2026. https://helsing.ai/newsroom/helsing-and-eurenco-sign-partnership-to-deliver-a-sovereign-european-strike-drone-capability
25. Hartpunkt – “Strike-Drohne HX-2 – aktueller Entwicklungsstand und zukünftige Kampfwertsteigerung.” 10 November 2025. https://www.hartpunkt.de/strike-drohne-hx-2-aktueller-entwicklungsstand-und-zukuenftige-kampfwertsteigerung/
26. Reuters, reproduced by Defense News – “German drone maker Helsing enlists Rakuten to broker Japan military deal.” 17 August 2026. https://www.defensenews.com/industry/techwatch/2026/08/17/german-drone-maker-helsing-enlists-rakuten-to-broker-japan-military-deal/
27. Helsing – “Helsing raises €600m to invest in European technological sovereignty.” 17 June 2025. https://helsing.ai/newsroom/helsing-raises-eur600m-to-invest-in-european-technological-sovereignty
28. Helsing – “Helsing raises US$1.8bn in Series E.” 13 July 2026. https://helsing.ai/newsroom/helsing-raises-1-8bn-in-series-e
29. Odessa Journal – “Helsing Delivers 1950 AI-Powered HF-1 Drones to Ukraine.” https://odessa-journal.com/helsing-boosts-ukraines-defense-with-delivery-of-1950-ai-loitering-munitions

Analyst Section

Procurement & contracts

• Ukraine production announcement, 13 February 2025: Helsing announced production of 6,000 HX-2s for Ukraine, separately identifying the preceding 4,000 HF-1 order; no HX-2 contract value or completed delivery of all 6,000 was disclosed.
• Ukraine reported order total: RBC-Ukraine reported two orders totalling 10,000 HX-2s, citing industry sources through Defense Express; it did not describe 10,000 additional units beyond the February announcement.
• Reported ordering pause and company response, January 2026: The Defense Post reported suspended further orders by Ukraine and Germany after technical problems and recorded Helsing’s rejection of the findings. In its 19 January statement, Helsing said HX-2 had passed frontline testing, been approved for frontline use and entered Ukraine’s central ordering system; the company claimed deliveries of several hundred per month and requests from more than six Ukrainian units, including a request for over 1,000 additional drones from the testing unit.
• Germany signed procurement, 26 February 2026: Germany signed purchase contracts with Helsing and Stark on 26 February 2026, the Bundeswehr states. The initial Helsing allocation is almost €270 million for approximately 4,300 HX-2s, as documented by Hartpunkt and Europäische Sicherheit & Technik. Parliament capped framework drawdowns at €1 billion per supplier, with serial-system purchases conditional on successful demonstration and further options requiring budget-committee approval, Hartpunkt reported. Panzerbrigade 45 in Lithuania is to receive the capability from 2027, and the contracts permit termination for missed performance milestones and require continuing modernization, the Bundeswehr states.
• Other evaluations and prospective customers: Helsing sales vice-president Simon Brünjes identified testing by Germany, France and the UK in July 2025 and said Britain had not made a regular procurement, Hartpunkt reported. US Army HX-2 exercise testing took place in Lithuania in May 2026, as documented by Calibre Defence. Reuters reported JGSDF field tests scheduled through the end of September 2026, with Rakuten involved in a prospective Japanese sale, but disclosed no quantity, contract value or completed qualification result in its account reproduced by Defense News.

Suppliers & related companies

• Helsing financing: Helsing announced a €600 million Series D on 17 June 2025, initially subject to approvals, and announced a completed US$1.8 billion Series E at an US$18 billion valuation on 13 July 2026; both were company-wide financing events rather than HX-2 contracts.
• Warhead partners: Helsing announced a memorandum of understanding with EURENCO on 17 June 2026 for European-produced HX-2 warheads, initially tailored to French operational requirements, identifying EURENCO’s Modular Explosive Warhead and retaining the existing Instalaza partnership. Helsing’s announcement disclosed no warhead mass, delivery quantity, French purchase contract or completed integration qualification.
• German manufacturing: Helsing’s February 2025 announcement described RF-1 in southern Germany as operational with initial capacity exceeding 1,000 HX-2s per month. At its July 2025 briefing, Helsing described a then-current ability to produce 450 per month, expandable to 1,000 with additional trained personnel, and a planned second factory that could raise total capacity to approximately 2,500 per month, Hartpunkt reported. Helsing subsequently said its second German factory was operating at 1,000 HX-2s per month, with another 400–600 potentially available; its video described 100,000 annually as an ambition, and Resilience Media covered the announcement on 17 February 2026.
• Planned US manufacturing: The West Virginia governor’s office announced an initial $50 million investment for a planned facility in Martinsburg, Berkeley County, initially manufacturing HX-2. Helsing specified capacity exceeding 2,000 HX-2s per month once fully operational, with expansion according to demand.

Comparable systems — analyst view

Helsing specified a 100 km range and payloads of up to 4 kg at its July 2025 briefing, according to Hartpunkt; Militarnyi reported a 2.5 kg warhead in July 2026 without explaining its relationship to the maximum-payload figure. Army chief technology officer Alex Miller told Axios that HX-2 could find and track targets and fly under jamming; the account did not disclose jammer characteristics or a complete trial protocol. Helsing co-CEO Niklas Köhler described automatic exploitation of target weak points and responses to defensive obscuration as future software improvements in his November 2025 interview with Hartpunkt. The Defense Post reported technical problems and suspended further orders, which Helsing disputed. Defense Express documented later successful Ukrainian engagements while stating that footage containing only successes could not establish an overall hit rate.

Analyst note

Germany’s purchase contracts tie procurement to defined performance milestones and continuing modernization, with Panzerbrigade 45 in Lithuania scheduled to receive the capability from 2027, the Bundeswehr states. Hartpunkt reported parliamentary limits on framework drawdowns and further approval requirements for purchases beyond firm orders. Europäische Sicherheit & Technik reported that development and qualification were expected to finish by September 2026, without establishing successful completion. Reuters reported Japanese field tests scheduled through the end of September, with no disclosed quantity, contract value or completed qualification result, in its account reproduced by Defense News. Helsing’s US factory announcement describes future capacity exceeding 2,000 HX-2s per month once fully operational, rather than achieved output or a US military purchase.

Last updated: 9 October 2026, 11:06 am PT