Swarm formation: Helsing launches AI combat drone HX-2 on the market

The Munich-based software company Helsing, which was founded in 2021 and specializes in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the defence sector, has officially unveiled its new HX-2 drone. The company describes the quadrocopter as "software-based, mass-produced and swarm-capable". The drone has four wings and rotors in an X arrangement and weighs up to 12 kilograms on take-off. The maximum explosive load of 4.5 kilograms should enable it to reach targets up to 100 kilometers away at a top speed of 250 km/h and self-destruct on impact (kamikaze drone). According to the manufacturer, the software used is encrypted and protected against re-engineering.

Helsing's main advantage of the quadcopter is that the integrated AI makes the unmanned aerial vehicle "resistant to electronic warfare and jamming". "Individual HX-2s can reliably hit armored targets even in highly electromagnetically contested environments," explains Niklas Köhler, co-founder and co-head of technology at Helsing. The HX-2 uses stored map material for autonomous navigation, which is not affected by conventional jammers, writes the magazine Europäische Sicherheit & Technik (E S & T).

During the flight, the on-board computer uses landmarks to determine the exact position of the drone. Thanks to the AI, a large number of such landmarks can be evaluated. Before the attack, the target is identified using image recognition, if necessary supported by reconnaissance drones on site. Due to these capabilities, the HX-2 is also referred to as a "mini Taurus", as the significantly larger cruise missile has comparable software. The autonomous drone is also subject to "complete human control and supervision". The company explains that humans must be involved in critical decisions, such as life and death.

Autonomously under control

The weapon is already being produced in Germany, the manufacturer emphasizes, and additional production capacities are currently being built up "in Europe". According to the FAZ, production is set to reach up to 1,000 units per month from the first quarter of 2025. In the medium term, the aim is to achieve a capacity of tens of thousands per month. According to the manufacturer, the drone will be significantly cheaper than comparable systems on the market.

However, critics complain that AI has long since undermined human agency in such cases. Helsing's Altra reconnaissance and control software should also make it possible to combine several HX-2 drones into swarms that are controlled by a human operator. This program is already being used in Ukraine. According to E S & T, Helsing is supplying 4000 combat drones of the HX-2 predecessor HF-1 to the country as part of a German government initiative, which already uses the same technology at its core.

(vbr)