A German startup founded just four years ago now employs 1,300 people and has secured defense contracts worth up to one billion euros. Helsing, headquartered in Munich with offices across Europe, has moved from pure software into combat hardware at a pace that traditional defense contractors struggle to match.
The company represents a broader shift in how militaries think about technology. Across the Atlantic, firms like Anduril and Palantir built their reputations on agility and AI. Helsing wants to bring that same model to European armed forces.
Chief commercial officer Frank Dirksen, who previously worked at a conventional defense firm, pointed to speed as the defining difference. Operational feedback from the battlefield can be integrated into systems within a day, he said.
The HX-2 strike drone, deployed extensively in Ukraine, demonstrates this approach. Company officials report mission success rates above 88 percent in demanding conditions. A “resilience factory” in southern Germany has scaled production significantly over the past year, backed by a German government contract worth at least 300 million euros and potentially up to one billion.
Beyond drones, Helsing is developing the CA-1 Europa, an autonomous combat aircraft with a 1,500-kilometer range. A first test flight is scheduled for early 2027, with service entry alongside German forces targeted for 2029. The company also works on underwater detection systems with European partners and has entered the space sector through a joint venture called KIRK.
Meanwhile, Helsing is expanding into the United States. A resilience factory planned for West Virginia follows successful trials at a U.S. Army exercise in Lithuania, where the company’s systems outperformed expectations.
Dirksen sees consolidation ahead for the European defense sector. Within five to ten years, he predicts, only five to ten companies will emerge as neo-primes at meaningful scale. Helsinki, he believes, will sit among them.
