Helsing, a Munich-based developer of defense hardware and software, announced that it secured $1.8 billion in fresh funding in a financing round that lifts the company's valuation to $18 billion.
The company said the round attracted both fresh and returning investors, explicitly naming JPMorgan Chase and venture capital firms Lightspeed Venture Partners and Iconiq among participants. In a statement, Helsing said "investor demand significantly exceeded the available allocation, reflecting strong and growing confidence in AI-driven and software-defined defence technology."
Helsing builds a mix of physical systems and software aimed at defense applications. Its product set listed by the company includes aerial drones and underwater surveillance weapons, alongside artificial intelligence and autonomous software systems intended for military use.
One of the firm's systems, the HX-2 drone, is currently supplied to the Ukrainian army, the company said. Helsing has positioned itself as a European defense technology provider during a period of heightened emphasis in Europe on developing independent defense capabilities, and the company added it "remains predominantly European-owned, underscoring its deep roots in Europe."
On how the newly raised capital will be deployed, Helsing described the intent to "accelerate Helsing’s mission to develop and integrate entirely new AI platforms into the defense capabilities of its growing number of partner nations," indicating the funds will support further work on AI-driven integration across its offerings. The company did not provide a detailed line-item breakdown of how the $1.8 billion will be allocated in its announcement.
Helsing's statement framed the financing as a signal of investor confidence in software-defined approaches to defense technology, tying the capital infusion to an acceleration of AI platform efforts. The firm made clear that investor interest outstripped the amount available for allocation, though it did not disclose specific ownership percentages or the precise mix of new versus existing investor capital in the round.
Overall, the announcement highlights a substantial private capital commitment to Helsing at an $18 billion valuation and reiterates the company’s stated focus on expanding AI-integrated defense systems for partner nations while maintaining a European ownership base.