Secret German Plant Builds AI Strike Drones for Ukraine
NYT reports Helsing SE is producing cheap AI strike drones for Ukraine at a secret German plant, signaling a shift in wartime defense spending.
Helsing SE is producing cheap autonomous drones for the Ukrainian army at a facility in southern Germany, according to The New York Times.
The newspaper reported that the plant operates under strict secrecy. The buildings have no logos, employees sign nondisclosure agreements, and security procedures are arranged so that, in the event of a threat, production can be fully shut down and moved within a single day.
Helsing’s main product is the HX-2 strike drone, an AI-equipped unmanned aircraft weighing 12 kilograms and made from rigid black foam. Each unit costs about €17,500, while training a drone operator takes several weeks.
The New York Times also reported that Helsing was founded in 2021 with backing from a venture firm linked to Spotify founder Daniel Ek. Its team includes former employees of Tesla, Apple and Palantir. One of the company’s co-founders, Gundbert Scherf, previously served as an adviser to Germany’s Defense Ministry.
According to the newspaper, Helsing’s rise reflects a fundamental shift in how countries spend money on war. Defense contracts that once largely went to slow-moving industrial giants are now increasingly being contested by agile technology companies.
The report also noted that out of the $1.5 trillion the Pentagon is requesting in its draft defense budget for next year, $55 billion is allocated for building a new arsenal of AI-based drones.