HelsingIn Production
Electrically propelled X-wing precision strike drone (loitering munition) with onboard AI that keeps hunting and re-identifying targets through GPS denial and jamming, with a human on the loop for critical decisions. Software-defined and built for low-cost mass production; combat-deployed in Ukraine and ordered by the Bundeswehr.
Latest update Jul 28, 2026
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Combat-deployed in Ukraine (thousands delivered since start of 2026); €269M initial Bundeswehr contract Feb 2026; Japan initial agreement May 2026; US manufacturing began Jul 2026 (West Virginia); accuracy disputed - WELT reports 35.7% Donbas hit rate vs. 88% in US Army Flytrap 5.0 trials
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Announced next steps from Helsing that mention HX-2.
Nov 2026
Helsing's first US manufacturing site in Martinsburg, West Virginia ($50M investment, 60+ jobs) is targeting initial operating capability in November 2026, with full-rate production toward 2,000+ HX-2 drones/month within a year of that milestone. Watch for the IOC date, initial output rate, and any US government orders that follow. As of September 11, 2026 the November 2026 target remains in place with no public slip or IOC announcement.
Q4 2026
Building on the initial HX-2 agreement Helsing struck with Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force in May 2026, Helsing enlisted Japanese e-commerce and finance firm Rakuten in August 2026 to help broker a full sales deal, with Rakuten serving as the point of contact between Helsing and the Japanese government. Reuters and The Japan Times reported on August 18 that the GSDF field tests run through the end of September 2026. As of September 17, 2026, those tests are still in their scheduled window and no public test results or firm procurement contract have been announced. Watch for the field-test outcome after September 30 and whether it converts into a buy.
04
German defense technology company Helsing said Rakuten is helping broker a deal to sell its HX-2 strike drones to Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force, serving as the point of contact between Helsing and the Japanese government. Japan's GSDF is field testing the HX-2 through the end of September as Tokyo looks to modernize its military and counter an increasingly assertive China, building on an initial agreement the two sides struck earlier in 2026.
German defense AI company Helsing closed a $1.8 billion Series E on July 13, valuing the company at $18 billion and marking the largest funding round ever for a European defense-technology startup. Investors including Dragoneer, Lightspeed Venture Partners, General Catalyst and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board backed the oversubscribed round. Days later Helsing said it will build its first US manufacturing facility in Martinsburg, West Virginia, a $50 million plant to produce its AI-enabled HX-2 strike drone at a rate of more than 2,000 units a month once fully operational.
German defense-AI company Helsing said on July 13 it raised $1.8 billion in a Series E round valuing it at $18 billion - Europe's largest defense-startup raise, cementing its position as the continent's most valuable defense-tech company. New and existing backers included Dragoneer, Lightspeed, Iconiq, Growth Equity at Goldman Sachs Alternatives, JPMorganChase, CPP Investments, General Catalyst, Plural and StepStone, with the company saying investor demand far exceeded the available allocation. Helsing, which makes the HX-2 strike drone and Centaur AI fighter-pilot software and remains predominantly European-owned, will use the capital to scale its multi-domain buildout.
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Reconnaissance-strike software platform that fuses feeds from many drones into a single battlefield picture and coordinates swarming strikes. Acts as the command-and-control layer above HX-2 and other unmanned systems, and is deployed in Ukraine.
AI air-combat agent ('AI fighter pilot') trained by reinforcement learning at massive scale. In Saab's Project Beyond it took control of a Gripen E fighter over the Baltic in May–June 2025 - a publicly claimed world first for AI flying a real fighter in beyond-visual-range combat scenarios - and is the native autonomy stack for the CA-1 Europa.
AI electronic-warfare software that uses deep learning to classify unknown radar emitters and infer their intent in real time. Being integrated into Saab's Arexis EW suite for Germany's 15 Eurofighter EK electronic-combat jets under a €258M contract signed November 2025, replacing Tornado ECR capability around 2030.
A ~2 m, ~60 kg autonomous underwater glider that patrols for up to three months running Lura, a 'large acoustic model' trained on decades of ocean sound to detect and classify ships and submarines. Deployable in swarms as affordable persistent undersea surveillance; built in Plymouth for the Royal Navy's Atlantic Bastion program.
An autonomous combat aircraft in the three-to-five-tonne class, developed and built by Helsing subsidiary Grob Aircraft in Bavaria and natively flown by the Centaur AI. Unveiled September 2025; at ILA Berlin 2026 Helsing added a dedicated CA-1EA electronic-attack variant alongside the CA-1KA kinetic-attack version, pitching the only all-European 'wingman' answer to systems like the EA-18G Growler.
Autonomous quadrupedal ground robot, acquired with Keybotic in January 2026, built to navigate multi-story industrial sites without GPS using onboard cameras and sensors, climbing stairs and slopes while its visual, thermal and acoustic sensors detect anomalies and trigger real-time alerts. Originally sold for energy, oil-and-gas and mining inspection; Helsing is integrating it into its broader autonomous-systems and ground-robotics line.
A quadrupedal robotics research platform designed and manufactured in Europe, including Helsing-designed actuators, unveiled June 1, 2026 with the public launch of Area 9, Helsing's advanced research division led by Chief Scientist Antoine Bordes. Built for outdoor autonomy research rather than combat sales; Helsing is making it available to academic labs, starting with ETH Zurich (Marco Hutter) and INRIA Paris.
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SpaceX
Partially reusable two-stage medium-lift launch vehicle. The world's most frequently launched orbital rocket.
SpaceX
Heavy-lift launch vehicle consisting of a strengthened Falcon 9 core with two additional boosters.
SpaceX
Reusable spacecraft for cargo and crew transport to the International Space Station.
SpaceX
Fully reusable super-heavy-lift launch system designed for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. V3 (Block 3) variant with Raptor 3 engines is the production version.