Helsing unveils interceptor missiles designed to chase Russia’s fast-flying Geran drones — SkimNews
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- Helsing launched the Contra air-defense system, featuring AI-coordinated interceptors priced under $100,000 per shot, to counter low-cost, high-speed attack drones.
- Helsing is developing two interceptor missiles—jet-powered AD-1 'Inferno' and rocket-propelled AD-2 'Ambush'—to engage drones flying at 400–700 km/h, with the Ambush reaching over twice the speed of sound.
- Gundbert Scherf, Helsing’s CEO, stated that Russian Geran-4 and Geran-5 drones now evade Ukrainian defenses nearly 50% of the time due to increased speed, driving demand for new countermeasures.
- Maxwell Adams, Helsing’s senior product director, explained the Ambush missile is designed as a last-line interceptor against 'leakers'—drones that bypass initial defenses.
- Helsing designed radar seekers for both interceptors using widely available hardware to avoid reliance on U.S. export-controlled or China-linked supply chains.
- Helsing demonstrated a scenario where 20 Inferno and 40 Ambush missiles launch from shipping containers to autonomously intercept drone swarms using AI coordination.
- Helsing expects the Contra system to reach market readiness in the second half of 2027, with one contract already signed despite the system still being in testing.
Why it matters: Air defenses are shifting from expensive legacy systems to affordable, mass-deployable interceptors as drone threats evolve—Helsing’s $100,000 price cap per shot undercuts current solutions by orders of magnitude, altering cost dynamics for European militaries now prioritizing local, supply-chain-resilient systems amid fears of U.S. hardware shortages.
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