Details revealed on new UAS munition destined for Ukraine
The twin x-wing platform has a length of 1.12m. (Photo: Helsing)
Helsing’s HX-2 has a weight of 12kg and a range of 100km. It is planned to enter service in Ukraine in 2025.
German artificial intelligence (AI) and drone company Helsing has released details on its HX-2 attack uncrewed aerial system (UAS) which is set to be deployed in Ukraine where underlying technology of the system is already in use.
The platform is described by the company as “software-based, mass-producible and swarm-capable, electrically-propelled, twin x-wing-precision munition with up to 100 km range”.
The platform has weight of 12kg with a warhead payload of 4.5kg and a maximum speed of 250kmh. Propellers are mounted on the rear x-wings and the UAS has a length of 1.12m.
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A key feature of the system is an on-board computer which runs the AI component. Combined with stored map data, it allows for operation in satellite- or GPS-denied environments. Navigation is provided by the platform identifying landmarks.
When operating as part of Helsing’s Altra recce/strike software, multiple HX-2s can assemble into swarms controlled by one operator.
It is designed to be mass-producible and at unit cost less than conventional systems. Helsing is ramping up production in Europe with first deliveries to Ukraine expected in early 2025.
In announcing the UAS the company repeatedly highlighted the platforms use in Ukraine and with one operational scenario “being deployed along borders at scale, HX-2 can serve as a powerful counter invasion shield against enemy land forces”.
Additionally, “NATO urgently requires technology to protect the integrity of the Eastern Flank [and] we’ve invested to develop this capability and give NATO an edge through precision mass”.
In February last year the company announced it was opening a headquarters in the UK. The UK Ministry of Defence noted this was part of a plan to mass-produce thousands of a new AI-enabled UAS over the next five years within a £350 million (US$442 million) investment.
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