Helsing, the artificial intelligence (AI) specialist for defence applications, officially unveils its HX-2 Karma intelligent loitering munition on 2 December 2024.
Prior to the announcement, there had been much speculation about what Helsing calls a ‘strike drone’ in the press in recent weeks. A connection has been made with the “4,000 armed drones” that the German government has announced will be handed over to Ukraine in its overview of deliveries of weapons and military equipment to Ukraine.
According to Helsing, the HX-2 Karma is an electrically powered, X-wing, precision loitering munition with a range of up to 100 km (X-wing meaning four wings and rotors in an X arrangement). This new type of software-based, swarm-capable loitering munition is designed from the ground up to be cost-effective to mass produce. The advanced AI on board enables high jamming resistance even in a highly competitive electromagnetic spectrum. The company developed and tested the system’s capabilities based on its extensive experience in Ukraine.
With a take-off weight of up to 12 kg, the HX-2 falls into weight class 1 (mini-UAS). The payload (warhead) of a maximum of 4.5 kg can be carried at a maximum speed of 250 km/h to targets 100 km away and detonated there, with the HX-2 obviously destroyed when the explosive charge detonates. If the HX-2 is not completely destroyed at the end of the mission, it is ensured that the encrypted software, which is protected against re-engineering, can neither be used nor deciphered.
According to Helsing, the HX-2 can be produced in large quantities and is considerably cheaper than conventional unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The performance of the hardware components is raised to the required level using AI methods.
“We are a software-first company. Our focus is on the development of AI solutions for military applications,” explained Simon Brünjes, managing director of the land sector at Helsing. “However, in a strategic environment where rapid innovation and technological sovereignty are essential, we have decided to take a significant step: to vertically integrate the production chain. This decision enables us to develop drone-based active agents that are perfectly aligned with our algorithms and to innovate faster.”
Helsing is ramping up production in Europe to manufacture the HX-2s. In addition to its own production capacities, the company is working with other manufacturers that produce subassemblies and components according to Helsing’s specifications and quality criteria.
Helsing sees the HX-2 Karma as a powerful complement to artillery systems, capable of successfully engaging enemy wheeled and tracked vehicles, command posts and positional systems from a distance.
At the core of the HX-2’s software is Altra: a reconnaissance and attack software package from Helsing’s development offices. Altra controls the sensors, evaluates the results and derives recommendations for action for the operator. The operator decides on the HX-2’s actions at any time, but can also allow certain aspect to run automatically. The operator, however, finally confirms the target and initiates the final approach, ensuring that a human operator retains decision-making control over the system.
Altra makes it possible to combine several loiering munitions into a swarm that is controlled as a whole by the operator to perform tasks together.
The HX-2 Karma is self-sufficient thanks to its onboard computer, which runs advanced algorithms using AI. The resulting high resistance to interference enables the system to be used effectively. The HX-2 uses stored mapping data for autonomous navigation. During flight the navigation system uses landmarks to determine the exact position of the HX-2, with the AI allowing a very large number of landmarks to be evaluated. When approaching the target, the target is identified using image recognition, if necessary supported by reconnaissance UAVs in the area. In this way, the HX-2 can reliably find its target without relying on a satellite navigation system and even in highly electromagnetically contested areas.
“With HX-2, we are creating a new category of effector that combines mass with intelligence and extreme precision. Individual HX-2s can reliably engage armoured targets even in the most contested environments. When deployed on a large scale along land borders, HX-2 can serve as a powerful shield against entire land forces,” said Niklas Köhler, co-founder of Helsing.
Gundbert Scherf, co-founder of Helsing, added: “NATO urgently needs solutions to protect the integrity of its land borders. HX-2 addresses this need with an AI- and software-based approach, while maintaining full human control and surveillance: core capabilities that electronic warfare threatened to erode.”
Helsing is supplying 4,000 HF-1 loitering munitions to Ukraine as part of a German government initiative. This programme has been developed together with Ukrainian partner companies and already exploits the core technology that is also used in the HX-2.
Deliveries of the HX-2 Karma, meanwhile, will begin in the first quarter of 2025.
