Cutting-edge equipment that could play a crucial role in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The Helsing company, specializing in defense artificial intelligence (AI), recently revealed that it had concluded a contract with the Ukrainian army for the delivery of 4,000 HX-2 drones.
As reported by Le Monde, this contract represents a major step in the development of Helsing, a startup founded in 2021 “thanks to a 100 million euro investment from Spotify founder Daniel Ek”. Already present in Ukraine for more than two years, the company will therefore move up a gear with the manufacturing and delivery of these weapons.
An attack drone with a range of 100 km
According to Helsing's official website, the HX-2 is “an attack drone designed around software and AI, capable of swarm flying, and can be mass produced.” This cruciform flying machine has the characteristic of being able to “precisely destroy artillery, armored and other military targets” with a range of 100 km.
Compared to other military drones, it benefits from a certain advantage: the AI software with which it is equipped makes it resistant to “enemy electronic warfare measures, allowing it to search, identify and engage objectives in situation of jamming of positioning systems and communications”.
Its AI allows it to operate even in the event of signal jamming
More precisely, as Le Monde describes it, its AI allows it to continue to operate autonomously when it is targeted by electronic attacks: “With the support of a reconnaissance drone capable of identifying targets (recognition post command, logistics node, armored vehicles, etc.), its main strength is to be able to operate even in the event of signal jamming, used systematically in Ukraine, and to operate in spaces without communication.
In its presentation of the HX-2 drone, the Helsing company indicates that the performance of its software was “developed and tested” in Ukraine, confirming that the latter was partly designed with the aim of thwarting Russian jamming equipment. If it relied on AI to achieve this objective, the startup nevertheless emphasizes in its presentation that the HX-2 remains in all circumstances controlled by a “human operator”.
Fairly inexpensive and can be produced on a large scale
Another major advantage of this military equipment lies in its ability to be “produced on a large scale and at a significantly lower cost than conventional systems”, according to the Helsing site. Concretely, the startup has counted on a unit production cost equivalent to that of the Russian attack drone of the same range (the Lancet), i.e. “around $35-40,000 each”, according to the general director of Helsing France , Antoine de Braquilanges, quoted by L'Orient-Le Jour.
As part of the order concluded with the Ukrainian army (the amount of which has not been revealed), the construction of the 4,000 drones will be carried out in partnership with an industrial partner whose name has been kept secret. “The first deliveries will start from the end of the year and will end in spring 2025,” promises Antoine de Braquilanges, this time cited by L’Usine Nouvelle.
“NATO urgently needs technological solutions to secure its eastern flank”
“With the HX-2, we are creating a new category of intelligent effectors that combine mass, autonomy and precision,” says Helsing co-founder Niklas Köhler on the company’s official website. A single HX-2 can Reliably engage enemy armored targets in even the most contested environments. Deployed in large numbers, HX-2s represent a critical deterrent capability along contested borders.”
Presenting itself as an ally of “democracies”, the European startup does not hide the fact that its growth is part of a context of an arms race. “NATO urgently needs technological solutions to secure its eastern flank,” explains Gundbert Scherf, another co-founder of the company. “We invested without delay to provide the Alliance with a decisive advantage, thanks to capabilities combining mass and precision.”
“The HX-2 provides autonomy thanks to software and artificial intelligence, while allowing humans to maintain end-to-end control and supervision,” continues Gundbert Scherf. Electronic warfare threatened to deprive operators of their capacity for action, and we give it back to them.” According to Antoine de Braquilanges, cited by L'Orient-Le Jour, “fairly advanced discussions with many European countries” are underway for other massive orders for HX-2.
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