Grundbert Scherf, co‑founder of the Munich start‑up Helsing, says the NATO eastern flank should be secured mainly with European weapon systems rather than relying on American ones. Speaking to Spiegel, he noted that “we have had enough wake‑up calls” and added that the eastern flank should be able to act militarily in a “purely European” manner, as the founder of a company that produces “lurking ammunition” or kamikaze drones, emphasized.
Scherf argues that policy must now place more orders for armaments within Europe and “rapidly change the stringent EU procurement rules”. He explained that “absurdly, it is often easier to buy a US product than a European one”. Scherf has worked as a special adviser for efficient procurement in the defense sector for Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen (CDU) since 2014, a role he served for two years.
The Bundeswehr plans to use Helsing’s current model, the HX‑2 kamikaze drone, for its initial deployment. Parliamentary approval from the Bundestag is still required. Addressing widespread criticism of AI‑assisted weapon systems, Scherf said he takes ethical questions seriously. Many of his employees come from outside the defense industry and want to stand morally behind their products. “We do not build autonomous killer machines” he said. “No machine makes a decision for us”.
According to Scherf, the AI only automates reconnaissance, freeing soldiers from the need to analyze imagery frame by frame. This leaves more time for human decision‑making, and he claims the enhanced situational awareness will result in more accurate strikes than those delivered by human operators under pressure. “Traditional artillery, in comparison, fires almost entirely blind” he asserted.