Grundbert Scherf, co‑founder of the Munich startup Helsing, says NATO’s eastern flank should be secured primarily with European weapons systems rather than ones from the United States. “We’ve had plenty of wake‑up calls” he told “Der Spiegel”. “On the eastern flank we need to be able to act militarily in strictly European terms” he added, noting that his company produces “lurking ammunition” the so‑called kamikaze drones.
Scherf argues that policy must immediately increase orders for armaments within Europe and overtake the EU’s rigid procurement rules. “It’s absurdly easier to buy a U.S. product than a European one” he explained. He had previously served as a special adviser to Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen (CDU) from 2014 for two years on a program aimed at more efficient procurement.
The German Army plans to use Helsing’s current HX‑2 model as its first kit of kamikaze drones. The Bundestag still has to approve the purchase. When confronted with widespread criticism of AI‑driven weapons systems, Scherf stressed that he takes ethical questions seriously. Many of his own employees come from outside the defense industry and wish to stand morally behind their products. “We don’t build autonomous killer machines” he said. “No machine makes a decision on our behalf”.
He emphasized that AI simply automates reconnaissance: soldiers no longer have to evaluate image by image, freeing up time for human decision‑making. According to Scherf, the improved intelligence enables more precise strikes than human operators, who often act under pressure. “Traditional artillery strikes are essentially blind” he asserted.
