The technology company Helsing says it will continue to produce 6,000 HX-2 combat drones for Ukraine. This follows an earlier order for 4,000 combat drones, which are being manufactured with Ukrainian partners and have already been delivered. The new order makes Helsing one of the largest manufacturers of combat drones in the world.
The HX-2 fighter drone was unveiled at the end of 2024 and is an electronically powered X-wing precision drone with a range of up to 100 kilometers. The use of artificial intelligence makes the drone “resistant to electronic warfare and jamming”, according to the company. Helsing’s Altra reconnaissance and control software makes it possible to combine several HX-2 drones into swarms that are controlled by a human operator.
The HX-2 system was designed from the ground up for mass production, with significantly lower unit costs than conventional systems.
Helsing has put the first Resilience Factory (RF-1) into operation in southern Germany, with a production capacity of 1,000 HX-2 drones per month. According to the company, these are “highly efficient production facilities that enable local and sovereign production for nation states”. The plan is to set up further resilience factories at several locations in Europe in order to be able to produce tens of thousands of units per month in the event of a conflict.
Gundbert Scherf, co-founder of Helsing, says: “We are increasing HX-2 production in parallel with new orders. The war in Ukraine (-> current news from the war in Ukraine) shows on a daily basis that modern, precise technology can compensate for numerical disadvantages compared to older systems. The NATO must quickly learn the right lessons from this. With our Resilience Factories, we are focusing on decentralized mass production throughout Europe. This allows individual countries to produce directly on site and retain control over production and the supply chain.”
Niklas Köhler, co-founder of Helsing, says: “We have brought together Europe’s brightest minds to develop the mass production of the future. Our resilience factories are based on software-based design and scalable production techniques. We solve complex problems with software instead of complex electronics. This enables rapid production, strengthens deterrence and protects our democracies. HX-2 is just the beginning – more products will follow this principle.”
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