Ukraine postpones new Helsing drone orders due to testing issues - Media

Ukraine is refraining from additional orders of attack drones from Helsing, Europe's most valuable defense tech startup, after the company's weapon systems encountered problems during frontline combat tests. This is reported by Bloomberg, citing a German military presentation and information from people familiar with the matter, according to UNN.

Details

The German company's flagship attack drone, the HX-2, had takeoff problems during tests by the 14th regiment of the Ukrainian unmanned aerial systems unit, according to an internal presentation dated November 20, prepared by a group within the German Ministry of Defense. The model, which was supposed to include artificial intelligence components designed to assist in unpiloted control, lacked some of these tools, the presentation stated.

The presentation, reviewed by Bloomberg News, was compiled by a unit reporting to General Günter Schneider, who was appointed head of the Armed Forces Department of the German Ministry of Defense in October. Schneider's name was on the title page.

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The Bloomberg report is based on the presentation and conversations with five people in Germany and Ukraine familiar with the effectiveness of Helsing drones in the war. They requested anonymity because the information is classified. A spokeswoman for the German Ministry of Defense stated that its leadership had not reviewed or approved the report.

According to three sources, Helsing drones suffered from interference near the front line, which interrupted communication with operators. These setbacks reduced demand for the drones, which are paid for by the German military, as indicated by the presentation and two sources. Germany does not plan to place a repeat order until interest from Ukraine is received, they added.

In its statement, Helsing said the company was not informed of the presentation and rejected many of the conclusions presented by Bloomberg, including the high failure rate of HX-2 drones during takeoff. Several groups in the Ukrainian army have expressed interest in the drones, the company said.

"The hit rate in the initial flights, which was officially documented, is encouraging," Helsing said, adding that it was too early to draw conclusions about the drone's performance on the front line in Ukraine. "We are confident that the results of the HX-2 tests will reflect well on the hit rate on the battlefield, including in electronic warfare conditions."

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine stated that it does not comment on classified information.

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