For the first time, the Ukrainian Defense Forces have demonstrated the use of new German strike drones with artificial intelligence — the HF-1.

The BILD newspaper published a video report on the operation of these drones by a Special Operations Forces (SOF) unit in the Sumy region.

According to the media, as of early April, over 1,000 such drones are expected to be delivered to Ukraine.

A feature of this drone is that it is equipped not just with a targeting system but with artificial intelligence that can independently detect, recognize, and target the enemy.

However, as Ukrainian soldiers explain, they are not yet using this feature. As of now, they manually guide the drone to a pre-identified target and strike it, using only the targeting system to bypass Russian electronic warfare systems in the final phase. As the soldiers explain, the question is not whether to use the targeting algorithms or manual guidance — the main goal is to hit the maximum number of enemy targets.

The HF-1 can stay in the air for about an hour, with a flight range of around 100 kilometers. However, the military considers a “comfortable” operating range to be 45–50 kilometers.

“We can strike their equipment at parking locations, in areas where they are advancing towards the front line, in places where they feel very secure, in areas that are important to us. And we give them very unpleasant surprises,” the soldiers explain.

Depending on the task at hand, these drones are used to destroy air defense systems, logistics, warehouses, and even armored vehicles.

Another feature of this drone is that its body is made not of plastic but of plywood. As the special forces note, this doesn’t really matter much — the main thing is that the drone is capable of flying. On the contrary, plywood has a certain advantage because it is radio-transparent, which makes it more difficult to detect the drone using radar.

Overall, the military evaluates the drone positively and states the need for a significantly larger number of both drones and trained crews. This would allow it to effectively disrupt enemy logistics and “address the issue of air defense.”

The first announcement about plans to supply these drones came in November 2024, when the German company Helsing received permission from the German government to deliver them. A total of 4,000 such drones are expected to be delivered in partnership with the Ukrainian industry.

In addition, the delivery of 6,000 HX-2 strike drones manufactured by the company Helsing is expected. These drones will be equipped with similar artificial intelligence but will be entirely of German production. According to the plan, the delivery of all 6,000 drones of this type is expected to take place throughout 2025.