Overview
- Teams from both Munich-area startups are already working on interoperability, including scenarios where Arx ground vehicles launch Helsing drones or feed them targeting data to extend range and maintain operations in poor weather.
- The combined offering is aimed at NATO partners and Ukraine, drawing on battlefield use of both firms’ systems in Ukraine to shape rapid, iterative development.
- In a separate DSEI announcement, Helsing and Denmark’s Systematic plan to link HX-2 and other drones to the Sitaware command-and-control suite to enable faster data exchange and swarm coordination.
- Arx builds modular unmanned ground vehicles, including armed ‘Gereon’ variants and software to operate existing fleets remotely, while Helsing focuses on AI-enabled reconnaissance and strike drones such as the HX-2.
- Helsing’s recent scale-up and venture backing, alongside Arx’s modular platforms, reflect a startup-led push for faster procurement cycles and greater European independence from U.S.-controlled software, even as questions over autonomy and oversight persist.