Bloomberg: Ukraine and Germany Suspend HX-2 Drone Orders

Ukraine has suspended orders for German HX-2 strike drones from Helsing due to critical flaws.

This was reported by sources at Bloomberg.

The HX-2 drone had problems taking off during testing.

The model, which was supposed to include artificial intelligence components to assist in controlling the drone, was not equipped with some of the advertised tools.

According to three sources, Helsing’s drones were affected by Russian electronic warfare near the front line, causing repeated interruptions in communication with operators.

According to the presentation and testimony from two sources, these failures significantly undermined demand for the drones.

Germany also has no plans for a new order until there is renewed interest from Ukraine.

In 2025, it became known that Helsing was to manufacture 6,000 HX-2 strike drones for Ukraine.

Helsing stated that they knew nothing about the presentation and rejected the criticism from the military.

The company noted that the officially documented percentage of successful first flights is encouraging and expressed confidence that the HX-2 tests will also ensure high accuracy on the battlefield, particularly in conditions of electronic warfare.

Helsing previously reported that it considers the HX-2 to be Europe’s answer to Russia’s Lancet drone, which the company considers to be a highly effective weapon.

According to company co-founder Gundbert Schurf, the developers’ goal is to make the HX-2 not only more powerful but also more affordable than the Lancet. The drone was designed from scratch for mass production so that the unit cost would be significantly lower than that of traditional systems.