Helsing

Autonomous mass requires excellence in AI and manufacturing. To further deepen our commitment to scalable production we’re thrilled to welcome Dr. Michael Schwekutsch as EVP Physical Products at Helsing. Michael brings world-class engineering leadership from traditional automotive and next gen Silicon Valley Tech. He succesfully led large engineering and manufacturing teams at Tesla, Apple, and Archer Aviation. As VP Engineering at Tesla, he was instrumental in scaling production from 30,000 to 350,000 vehicles per year. At Archer he took the powertrain area from 20 employees using off-the-shelf components to a 200 engineers powerhouse of design and manufacturing. We are proud that Michael is contributing his extensive experience to Helsing’s mission – with a focus on scaling manufacturing of HX-2, SG-1 and upcoming unannounced systems.

Helsing is working on Project ASGARD to multiply the British Army’s fighting power. Altra’s targeting software is being combined with the HX-2 strike drone to deliver affordable precision mass. Ukraine, the UK and allies have now proven the impact of closer industry partnership and inserting AI at every stage of recce-strike systems. As General Sir Roly Walker said: "We are particularly proud of the collaboration between tacticians and technicians… together we must now scale and share it to multiply NATO’s fighting power and deterrence on its Eastern Flank.”

Helsing welcomes the UK Government’s commitment to invest in new defence technologies and is planning to open a Resilience Factory in Plymouth. The first UK Resilience Factory is planned to produce SG-1 Fathom in the National Centre for Marine Autonomy. Ned Baker made the announcement with Rt Hon Rachel Reeves at the Defence & Economic Growth Taskforce. HM Treasury and UK Ministry of Defence have adopted all its recommendations to strengthen government demand signals and collaborate with those companies generating value in the UK. Private investment follows public contracts – together we can equip our Armed Forces and grow our economies.

The NATO summit was a wake-up call for European allies. The tectonic shifts in geopolitics and technology are now clear. Europe must shape the future of warfare if it is to protect itself and its values. Helsing’s Co-Founder and Co-CEO Dr. Gundbert Scherf was invited to write for The Economist and argues that “Europe has the brains. It has the budgets. It now needs the boldness to combine them.” (Article link in comments below.)

Centaur AI agent successfully completes Saab Gripen E test flights.    On May 28th and June 3rd, Saab's Gripen E gave control to Centaur, Helsing's air combat AI agent above Linköping (Sweden) for the first time, performing complex manoeuvres against another airborne Gripen and issuing fire commands to the pilot.    Centaur is Helsing's reinforcement learning agent for beyond visual range (BVR) air combat. The live test flights are part of Project Beyond, a collaboration between Helsing and Saab under a contract awarded by the Swedish government.    During the flights, a human pilot was present at all times to monitor Centaur’s behaviour and take over at any point.    Marcus Wandt, Saab’s Chief Innovation Officer and test-pilot said: “This is the future of air combat happening right now, in Europe. It took us less than half a year to go from defining the operational scenario, through configuring software interfaces and training, integrating, testing the agent, to lift off and test flight. This is a clear testament to the Gripen’s unique software architecture, the technical maturity of Centaur, as well as the close collaboration and proficiency of Saab and Helsing engineers.” 

Helsing acquires H3 Grob Aircraft SE, a Bavaria-based composite aircraft manufacturer and aerospace technology company.      Together, Helsing and Grob Aircraft will test and mature hardware, software and AI capabilities for the future of air combat. The companies are expecting to significantly accelerate their joint R&D through their respective software and aircraft expertise, and by leveraging Grob’s dedicated airfield facilities one hour outside of Munich.      By acquiring Grob Aircraft and investing in Bavaria, Helsing is strengthening Germany’s defence industrial base, reducing reliance on non-European technologies and contributing to Europe’s strategic autonomy.     Full announcement in the comment section. 

Cirra is airborne. Helsing has successfully demonstrated Cirra — its AI-powered Electronic Warfare solution — in a live flight showcasing operational readiness and technical maturity. The event took place at an airfield in Southern Germany, with partners and members of the German Armed Forces and Ministry of Defence. Helsing's AI and EW experts equipped a testbed based on a military training aircraft with a radar receiver. Deploying AI algorithms to analyse the electromagnetic spectrum, the system was able to classify even unknown emitters according to their threat level. Helsing will use the new data and insights to further advance its work on the Eurofighter EK program.

As threats to our democracies intensify, so must our collective response. Helsing welcomes the EU–UK Security and Defence Partnership which we see as an important step in the strengthening of European defence. Dr. Gundbert Scherf joined the European Commission and UK government strategic dialogues with defence industry, before showcasing Lura and SG-1 Fathom, our underwater surveillance capability, for the Royal Navy. As a multi-domestic European company we will continue working to accelerate the adoption of advanced defence tech, for our sovereignty, security, and prosperity. (Pictures by EU Commission and UK Government)

Introducing Lura and SG-1 Fathom, our new underwater surveillance capability.   Full announcement: https://lnkd.in/eTQWWNnk

Introducing Lura and SG-1 Fathom, our new underwater surveillance capability.   Full announcement: https://lnkd.in/eTQWWNnk