Germany is quietly building its own brain for future air warfare and wants Helsing to write the code. Berlin is preparing a €580 million contract for the Munich artificial intelligence company. The software would link fighter jets, drones, satellites and sensors, according to documents seen by Politico.
The agreement rescues some of the remains of Europe’s largest defense project. The joint Franco-German fighter plane has crashed. Now Germany is going ahead alone and a fast-growing startup can win the first big prize.
From a dead fighter plane
The Future Combat Air System was intended to be Europe’s answer to American and Chinese airpower. Its centerpiece was a sixth-generation fighter. It collapsed in June after a long dispute between Airbus and France’s Dassault over who would lead the work, as Euronews reported.
One piece survived the divorce: the combat cloud. In modern warfare, the plane is only half the story. The decisive layer is the software. It allows manned aircraft, drones, sensors and weapons to share what they see and act as one.
Berlin has decided not to wait for the multinational effort to be reactivated. Instead, it is building a domestic version, the Combat Fighter System Nucleus, or CFSN. Internal documents describe it as the backbone of future networked air warfare, political reported.
What Helsing would build
The scope is wide. Under the contract, Helsing would deliver two experimental unmanned fighter aircraft, two ground control stations and a ground segment. I would also write the operating system and autonomy software. And it would deliver a government-owned reference architecture for other systems to connect to.
That last part matters. By keeping the project in state hands, Berlin hopes that other suppliers will be able to take advantage of it later. Helsing wouldn’t work alone either. Subcontractors include MBDA Germany, Grob Aircraft from Helsing, sensor manufacturer Hensoldt and electronics specialist Rohde & Schwarz.
Helsing also defeated strong rivals to get here. The ministry weighed four potential prime contractors, including Airbus Defense and Space, MBDA Germany and Diehl Defence. Only Helsing, the note says, provided all the required evidence.
A politically sensitive agreement
The contract is uncomfortable for Berlin in several ways. Germany says the architecture should avoid dependence on a single supplier. However, the first step hands the job over to a company. The officials themselves pointed out the contradiction.
The ministry is also citing an exemption on national security grounds to skip a normal EU tender. He maintains that an open conflict would put German security at risk. An internal memo warned of “considerable communication needs.” Officials want to explain why the deal can’t wait for the broader air combat plan.
Then there is parliament. Normally, the Bundestag’s budget committee must approve anything higher than €25 million. The documents suggest that a second stage in 2027 would avoid a new vote, and lawmakers have strongly rejected such measures before. The contract would also reimburse Helsing for experimental work rather than purchasing a finished product at a fixed price, with a price ceiling intended to limit risk.
Helsing’s rapid rise
Few European startups have scaled so quickly. Helsing opened in Munich in 2021. It is now one of the most valuable technology companies on the continentvalued at around €12 billion after a €600 million round led by Spotify boss Daniel Ek’s fund.
Their products span the battlefield. The company goes on strike drones already used in Ukraine, an autonomous pilot plane and the Lura underwater surveillance system. He has flown a Saab fighter under AI control. It has also been associated with Mistral in military AI models.
Why is it important
The agreement is a sign of where European defense is heading. Software, not airframes, increasingly decides who wins, and governments are rushing to take ownership of it.
It also shows the pressure on joint projects. As Germany Going it alone, the dream of a shared European wrestler seems further away, while national champions take over. For Helsing, a single contract could make it the software core of how Europe fights in the air. The ministry, for now, will not comment and Helsing did not want to comment either.
