Helsing has raised $1.8bn in a Series E round at an $18bn valuation, backed by new and existing investors including Dragoneer Investment Group, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Iconiq, Goldman Sachs Alternatives and JPMorgan Chase. The Munich-headquartered defence startup, founded in 2021, initially focused on battlefield AI software before expanding aggressively into hardware over the past two years.

The company now develops autonomous strike drones, AI pilot software and underwater surveillance systems alongside its original platform. The round marks up Helsing's valuation from the €12bn price tag secured last year and ranks among the largest funding rounds ever raised by a European startup. Helsing said investor demand significantly exceeded available capital, highlighting growing confidence in AI-powered defence technology.

The company remains predominantly European-owned despite global investors. Co-founder and co-CEO Gundbert Scherf said the hardware shift was driven by customer demand for faster field deployment. Helsing has unveiled its HX-2 autonomous strike drone, pledged thousands of drones to Ukraine, and announced a £350m investment in a Plymouth manufacturing facility for AI-powered underwater surveillance gliders.

Helsing works with governments including Germany, Estonia, the UK and Ukraine but stresses it has no US government contracts and remains under European control. The new funding will accelerate AI platform development for European and allied armed forces as governments increase defence spending and seek technological sovereignty.