Helsing HX-2 Karma U

Overview:

 The Helsing HX-2 Karma is an unmanned aerial vehicle announced by Helsing in December 2024 and advertised as ‘a new type of strike drone: software-defined and mass-producible’, and ‘capable of engaging artillery, armoured and other military targets at beyond-line-of-sight range (up to 100km).’^[1]https://helsing.ai/hx-2 Helsing states that ‘onboard artificial intelligence ensures that HX-2 is immune to hostile electronic warfare (EW) measures through its ability to search for, re-identify and engage targets even without a signal or a continuous data connection.’ The HX-2 has ‘multiple payload options including armour-penetrating shell charge.’ In a press release, Helsing that the drone’s AI capabilities had been ‘developed and tested through Helsing’s extensive experience in Ukraine.’^[2]https://helsing.ai/newsroom/helsing-unveils-intelligent-strike-drone-for-mass-and-precision

Helsing reportedly sees the HX-2 as ‘a powerful complement to artillery systems, capable of successfully engaging enemy wheeled and tracked vehicles, command posts and positional systems from a distance.’^[3]https://euro-sd.com/2024/12/major-news/41720/helsing-unveils-hx-2-lm/ Helsing says it can ‘produce tens of thousands’ of the HX-2 a year ‘at a lower cost than existing systems, using advanced manufacturing techniques such as 3D printing.’^[4]https://www.ft.com/content/2328df7f-96fc-49ad-9218-8c7ad686dcc2

Autonomy:

Helsing claims that ‘a human operator stays in or on the loop for all critical decisions.’ The system is networked with the company’s Altra ‘reconnaissance-strike software’ for ‘coordinated swarm strikes’. ^[5]https://helsing.ai/hx-2

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.'^[6]https://euro-sd.com/2024/12/major-news/41720/helsing-unveils-hx-2-lm/ Regarding target identification, the target ‘is identified using image recognition, if necessary supported by reconnaissance UAVs in the area.’ As such, Helsing claims ‘the HX-2 can reliably find its target without relying on a satellite navigation system and even in highly electromagnetically contested areas.’^[7]https://euro-sd.com/2024/12/major-news/41720/helsing-unveils-hx-2-lm/

Further detail on the system’s capabilities are unavailable at the time of writing (December 2024)