# Helsing (company)

Helsing GmbH is a German defence technology company based in Munich. Founded in 2021 by Torsten Reil, Gundbert Scherf, and Niklas Köhler, the company develops military drones as well as artificial intelligence software designed to enhance weapons systems and improve battlefield decision-making.

## History

Helsing was founded in 2021 originally as an artificial intelligence software company by Torsten Reil, a gaming developer; Gundbert Scherf, who previously worked in the German Ministry of Defence; and Niklas Köhler, a machine learning engineer. Their software uses AI to analyse large amounts of sensor and weapons system data, providing real-time battlefield insights that inform and enhance military decision-making. Later, Helsing started designing and manufacturing its own drones, announcing the HX-2 drones in December 2024. Based in Munich, the company has established subsidiaries in Estonia, France, and the United Kingdom. According to Reil, part of the motivation for starting the company was Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014. The company pledges to only sell to democratic governments.
The company's initial funding of €100 million was led by Spotify founder Daniel Ek through his investment vehicle Prima Materia in November 2021. The news sparked outrage among some Spotify artists, who advocated for boycotts and objected to the use of the service's streaming revenue to support military tech development. Helsing's second round of funding was led by General Catalyst, raising €209 million in September 2023. GC also led the third round with participation from Saab, Accel, Lightspeed, among others, raising €450 million, which valued Helsing at approximately €5 billion in July 2024, bringing its capital raised to date to €761.5 million.
Cofounder Köhler's deep learning company called Hellsicht, founded in 2017, was folded into Helsing. In 2022, Helsing acquired Design AI, a company that specialises in reinforcement AI.
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Helsing established partnerships with Rheinmetall in September 2022 and Saab in September 2023 to integrate Helsing's AI into their existing weapons systems. and continued to develop AI systems for Ukraine as the war carried on.
In 2024, Helsing secured a contract to build AI infrastructure for the Future Combat Air System. Also that year, the company partnered with Airbus to develop Wingman's AI system. Their AI has been integrated into the Eurofighter Typhoon's onboard system. The radar system of Saab JAS 39 Gripen was also upgraded with Helsing's software. Helsing has also partnered with the Bundeswehr to upgrade their existing military platforms, like armoured vehicles, by integrating its AI technologies.
At the 2025 AI Action Summit in Paris, Helsing announced a collaboration with Mistral AI to create what they call "vision-language-action" AI models for their defence platform enabling it to comprehend its surroundings, interact with drone operators, and make quicker decisions in complex situations. Additionally, it has partnered with French satellite infrastructure startup Loft Orbital to deploy Europe's first AI-powered multi-sensor satellite constellation for defence in order to aid border surveillance, troop movement tracking, and infrastructure protection.
In early 2025, with 4,000 Helsing HF-1 strike drones on delivery to Ukraine (underwritten by Germany); the manufacturer agreed to further supply the war-torn country with 6,000 HX-2 strike drones.

## Products

Their loitering munition drones, HF-1 and HX-2, use AI and stored map data to navigate and target without the need for GPS. The reconnaissance-strike software integrated into the drones, called Altra, can combine data feeds from multiple drones to cover a wider area and identify targets, giving operators additional time to assess the situation and make more accurate decisions. Immune to conventional jammers, HF-1 has been used by the Ukrainian government in its war against Russia, which has further contracted Helsing to supply 4,000 of HX-2's in September 2024. The HX-2 drones are manufactured at Helsing's factory in southern Germany, while various local manufacturers in Ukraine are building HF-1's for the country. The company plans to build similar factories across Europe.
The HX-2 drones feature a quadcopter design with four wings and rotors arranged in an X configuration with a top speed of 250 km/h (160 mph). The drone can be equipped with up to 5 kg (11 lb) of ammunition and has a range of 100 km (62 mi). A single drone pilot is required to control them using a specialised laptop equipped for military purposes. The company says advanced techniques including 3D printing allow for cheaper manufacturing costs of the drones.