At a time when the US and Russian representatives have just concluded over four hours of talks on ending the Ukraine conflict, without the representation of Ukraine or the EU, defense-related stocks, particularly of the European variety, have given up earlier gains, despite prognostications that the NATO members in Europe will have to substantially increase their defense spending going forward. Now, Helsing has entered the fray by marketing its AI-enabled drones for Europe-wide defense, presumably in a bid to find the next big customer for its wares.
100,000 HX-2 strike drones would deter a land invasion of Europe once and for all.@HelsingAI stands ready to produce them. pic.twitter.com/Yva6Woxnsn
— Torsten Reil (@torstenreil) February 18, 2025
To wit, Helsing's Torsten Reil has now claimed that 100,000 units of the new HX-2 AI-enabled drones deployed across the continent would "deter a land invasion of Europe once and for all."
For the benefit of those who might not be aware, Helsing is best known for its ongoing supply of up to 4,000 HF-1 strike drones to Ukraine. What's more, the company has just inked an agreement to produce 6,000 HX-2 drones for the embattled country.
According to Helsing, the HX-2 is a "mass producible" drone that is capable of engaging military targets "at beyond-line-of-sight range (up to 100km)." Critically, the company claims that these drones rely on AI to counter electronic warfare measures such as signal blocking, utilizing onboard artificial intelligence capabilities "to search for, re-identify and engage targets even without a signal or a continuous data connection. "
Yeah right, 100K 12kg drones will do it
…I'm getting increasingly concerned that all hyped new-gen Western defense contractors from Palantir to these guys are just cashing in on the delusion of nation states, and any real drone war will look like @mattparlmer's worst nightmares https://t.co/Us9WlKQ3ab— Teortaxes▶️ (DeepSeek 推特🐋铁粉 2023 – ∞) (@teortaxesTex) February 18, 2025
Of course, not everyone is convinced that Helsing's HX-2 drones can form the bedrock for Europe's defense going forward. For one, these drones presumably remain vulnerable to the more extreme counter-measures such as an EMP.
Meanwhile, as stated earlier, the two big defense-related stocks in the EU - Rheinmetall AG and Dassault Aviation SA - have both given up earlier gains as the war in Ukraine appears to be heading towards its inevitable conclusion.
Do you think Helsing's HX-2 drones are the future of military confrontations? How can we minimize the dystopian overtones that a battlefield filled to the brim with drones evokes? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
About the author: Writing is my one incontrovertible passion. Over the past six years, he has authored over 2,200 distinct articles on financial and tech-related topics, spanning nearly 1 million words. And he has been a member of Wcctech mobile team since 2025. As an alumnus of the University of Toronto, Rotman Commerce Program, I bring nuance, in-depth knowledge, and a unique perspective to every topic that I cover. When I'm not writing, I'm traveling the world, exploring hidden confectionaries and restaurants as an aspiring food connoisseur.
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