The Germans have set up serial production of combat AI drones for Ukraine in a secret place - NYT

The German company Helsing SE, specializing in military technologies with AI, serially produces HX-2 attack drones, which are already used by the Armed Forces. It is reported by The New York Times.

It is noted that the plant is located in a secret location in the south of Germany and in case of a risk of sabotage can be completely dismantled and moved to another location within a day. Most of the employees used to work in the German automotive industry and passed the security check.

"The company, a number of senior executives of which have moved from Palantir, Tesla, Apple and Meta❶, has set itself the goal of mass production of military vehicles costing only 17,500 euros. Working on the basis of artificial intelligence, they require a minimum number of military personnel and only a week of training. And the drones have passed combat tests under fire on Ukraine," the publication says.

The HX-2 belongs to the class of barrage ammunition, weighs about 12 kg, costs from 17.5 thousand euros and is controlled by an artificial intelligence system. The device is capable of continuing to complete the task even when communications and GPS are suppressed by electronic warfare, the company says.

Since the end of 2024, Ukraine has used thousands of such drones, the success rate of their combat use is about 70%, said Helsing co-founder Gundbert Scherf. According to him, video recordings of operations allow the company to constantly improve the software.

According to the newspaper, Helsing is also developing an unmanned CA-1 Europa jet aircraft, which is scheduled to be commissioned by 2029. The company expects to produce such devices much cheaper than traditional fighters.

Germany has already approved a contract with Helsing worth 220 million euros to develop various systems using AI, the NYT adds.

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