Helsing picks West Virginia for its first US factory, targeting 2,000 HX-2 strike drones a month
One day after closing a $1.8 billion round at an $18 billion valuation, Helsing is buying its way into the US industrial base with a West Virginia plant for its Ukraine-fielded HX-2, before it holds a single US contract.
One day after closing a $1.8 billion round at an $18 billion valuation, Helsing is buying its way into the US industrial base with a West Virginia plant for its Ukraine-fielded HX-2, before it holds a single US contract.
Helsing will spend an initial $50 million to stand up its first American factory in Martinsburg, West Virginia, Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced on July 13. The Berkeley County plant starts with the company's HX-2 strike drone and carries at least 60 full-time jobs at an average salary of $125,000, per the governor's office. The move landed one day after the Munich firm closed its $1.8 billion Series E at an $18 billion valuation.
Helsing brands the plant a Resilience Factory, per its announcement. The site measures 44,000 square feet, US general manager Jennifer McArdle said at the launch, according to the Charleston Gazette-Mail; she declined to name the exact location. Target output is 2,000 HX-2s a month once fully operational, with room to scale beyond that, defence-industry.eu wrote. Production for European customers stays at the company's existing German plant, McArdle added.
The HX-2 arrives with a combat record. Helsing says thousands of the AI-guided munitions have gone to the front in Ukraine, and the US Army flew the drone during the Flytrap exercise in Lithuania, where Calibre Defence put its trial success rate at 88 percent. What Helsing lacks is a buyer: the company holds no US government contract today, Resilience Media noted.
Martinsburg is the answer to that gap. Domestic production is often a precondition for Pentagon awards, and Calibre Defence editor Sam Cranny-Evans assessed that even a modest US order can outweigh a European production contract, citing loitering-munition maker AeroVironment, which he estimates has drawn at least $1.85 billion in US contracts since 2021. West Virginia's side of the deal lists customized workforce training through Blue Ridge Community and Technical College plus East Coast logistics and baseload energy.
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Subscribe Free →"Factories win wars," McArdle told the Martinsburg audience, per WV MetroNews. The plant gives the Pentagon a domestic HX-2 line rated at 2,000 units a month; the first US order will show whether it wants one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where will Helsing build its first US factory?
In Martinsburg, Berkeley County, West Virginia. The facility measures 44,000 square feet, US general manager Jennifer McArdle said, according to the Charleston Gazette-Mail; she declined to disclose the exact site.
How many HX-2 drones will the West Virginia plant produce?
Target output is 2,000 HX-2 drones a month once fully operational, with room to scale further, per defence-industry.eu and WV MetroNews.
How many jobs will the Helsing plant create?
At least 60 high-skilled, full-time jobs at an average salary of $125,000, per the West Virginia governor's office, which put Helsing's initial investment at $50 million.
What is the HX-2?
An AI-enabled precision strike drone built for mass production. Helsing's site, cited by the Charleston Gazette-Mail, describes it as using artificial intelligence to map and engage targets; the company says thousands have gone to the front in Ukraine.
Does Helsing have a US government contract?
No, Resilience Media noted. The US Army has tested the HX-2 during the Flytrap exercise in Lithuania, and Calibre Defence put its trial success rate there at 88 percent.
How does the factory relate to Helsing's $1.8 billion round?
The West Virginia announcement came one day after Helsing closed a $1.8 billion Series E at an $18 billion valuation, bringing its total raised to $3.35 billion since 2021, per Calibre Defence.
AI-generated summary, reviewed by an editor. More on our AI guidelines.
Marcus Schuler
Marcus Schuler edits BattlePolicy, a daily defense-technology brief connecting the companies and capabilities behind modern war to the contest among Europe, the US, Russia, and China.