HX-2 by Helsing: status and timeline

HX-2

An AI-guided precision loitering munition designed for autonomous swarm operations. The HX-2 can engage targets up to 100 km away and operates in GPS-denied and electronically contested environments.

DeployStage 4 of 5

In production and deployment with Ukraine; ~6,000 units contracted; Block 2 variant in development.

Checked 10 Oct0 updates this week

Milestones

No announced next step

HX-2 operational in Ukraine2025Complete.
6,000-unit order announcedFeb 2025Complete.
Field trials by German and British militariesOct 2026Complete.

Current obstacles

Electronic warfare resistanceEarly 2026 Ukrainian trials showed vulnerability to jamming; the HX-2 lacked full AI components for autonomous terminal guidance.
Production scaleScaling to 6,000+ units while maintaining quality in a wartime environment is a logistical challenge.

Physics limits

Endurance vs. payloadSmaller size (vs. CA-1) limits fuel capacity, forcing a trade-off between flight time and warhead mass.

How it works

3 parts

Autonomous Guidance

GPS-denied operation

The HX-2 uses onboard vision and AI to navigate and engage targets without GPS, resisting jamming in contested airspace.

Swarm Coordination

Multi-drone operations

The HX-2 is optimized for swarm attacks where multiple drones coordinate to overwhelm air defenses.

Data Integration

Altra software processing

Collected sensor data feeds into Helsing's Altra platform for real-time intelligence processing and targeting updates.

Spec sheet

Spec	HX-2
Maximum range	~100 km^R (reported)
Size relative to CA-1	Significantly smaller than CA-1 Europa^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

About Helsing

The team behind HX-2

Helsing

CA-1 Europa fighter drone, HX-2 strike drone, autonomous aircraft

A German defense-tech startup building AI for autonomous aircraft and battlefield decision-making. The CA-1 Europa is a stealth fighter drone; the HX-2 is a precision loitering munition used in Ukraine.

Helsing closed a $1.8 billion Series E in July 2026, making it the most valuable defense startup in Europe at $18 billion.
The company's CA-1 Europa fighter drone is scheduled for first flight in 2027 and service by 2031.
Its HX-2 loitering munition, used in Ukraine, can strike targets up to 100 km away but faced technical issues in early 2026 trials.

helsing.ai (opens helsing.ai)Company profile →

Founded: 20215 yrs
Headquarters: Germany
Status: Private
Valuation: $18BprivateJul 2026
Raised: $1.8B1 round
Last round: Series E · $1.8BJul 2026
Works in: AviationMilitary drones & autonomy
Coverage: 2 programs · 4 updateslatest 13 Jul 2026checked 10 Oct
Lead investors: Dragoneer
Customers: Ukraine (opens defense-blog.com)
Investors: Daniel Ek (opens helsing.ai)Tom Enders (opens helsing.ai)
People: Torsten Reil (opens en.wikipedia.org)Co-Founder & Co-CEOGundbert Scherf (opens copenhagendemocracysummit.com)Co-Founder & Co-CEONiklas Köhler (opens linkedin.com)Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer

Spec

HX-2

Maximum range

~100 km^R (reported)

Size relative to CA-1

Significantly smaller than CA-1 Europa^R (reported)