BERLIN, November 18. /TASS/. Germany in December will start supplying Kiev with high-tech attack drones called Helsing that are resistant to electronic warfare capabilities, the Bild newspaper reported, citing sources.
A total of 4,000 AI-powered drones are set to be transferred, several hundred every month. The aircraft are dubbed "mini-Taurus" in reference to Germany’s Taurus cruise missiles.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius in June announced plans to provide the drones to Kiev. Helsing signed a contract for the deliveries, which are funded by the German government, with the Ukrainian Defense Ministry in September 2024.
Helsing drones have four times the range of Ukrainian run-of-the-mill drones and can carry enough explosives to destroy a tank or a dugout.
"The drone surveys the terrain on its own, so to speak, and recognizes where it is based on many thousands of path markers, helping the operator keep it on course in difficult weather conditions or bombed-out areas," a weapons expert told the news outlet. "When a target is detected and the operator points to it, the drone practically flies to it on its own."
That means such aerial vehicles can reach the target even if radio connection is disrupted, according to the newspaper. That gives them a higher percentage of hits compared with regular drones. Their price is lower than it is for similar aircraft.
Pistorius, who spoke with Bild due to the impending start of deliveries, said that the drones will allegedly be used against Russian command centers or logistics sites. He said he had observed Helsing drone flights during a visit to Ukraine in May and was allegedly convinced of their effectiveness.
"We are in close communication with our Ukrainian partners and will be able to draw conclusions for the Bundeswehr on how to use this type of drone. This will also help us in expanding our own drone capabilities," the minister said.
Germany, the second-largest arms supplier to Ukraine after the US, has committed a total of about 28 billion euros in past and future spending on military support to Kiev. In the 2025 budget proposal, the country allocated 4 billion euros for the support, half the amount it spent this year. However, the Bundestag has yet to greenlight the budget proposal. Russia has repeatedly said that funneling weapons into Ukraine will not reduce Russia's resolve or change the course of the special military operation.