Helsing

2025: Results mismatch with company's stated goals

Since 2022, news has been published about the German startup Helsing on the creation of UAV-kamikaze HX-2 and HF-1 with AI technology for Ukraine. However, judging by Bloomberg's material published in April 2025, the company is not doing well.

At the beginning of the SVO of Russia in Ukraine, Helsing raised hundreds of millions of euros, began to conclude contracts and opened branches in France and Britain, as well as talk about huge progress and readiness to create a "wall of 100 thousand drones."

But by 2024, it became clear that the current results did not meet the previous high-profile promises, and the company's greater closeness raised even more questions about its declared successes.

The Helsing products have not really had much success yet: a limited batch of HF-1 was put in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, according to the results of operation, a weak warhead and complex drone software were noted, and they did not exceed Ukrainian developments in efficiency.

But the cost of one drone was €16.7 thousand (1.5 million rubles). Given the completely unimpressive characteristics for a product of this class, in principle, there is no need to talk about the declared cheapness.

Helsing continues to talk about the "20-fold return on value" of UAVs based on the results of application in Ukraine and the readiness to make 1000 HX-2 drones per month. However, the German MO does not want to order them for some reason yet.