Military AI surpasses humans in simulations
The defense startup Helsing, based in Munich, announced significant progress with its unmanned fighter CA-1 Europa. During tests in a virtual environment, the Centaur artificial intelligence repeatedly defeated experienced pilots, including a former German Air Force combatant and another from Mexico.
The demonstration took place before digital minister Karsten Wildberger, who praised the development pace of the company founded in 2021.
Accelerated training through synthetic environments
- The system now generates customized virtual scenarios, dispensing with real recordings of terrain, weather or aircraft.
- What used to take decades now comes down to minutes or hours.
- The technology was adapted from civilian use in images and text to military applications.
Helsing emphasizes that the AI remains confined to the military environment, with no risk of escaping to external systems.
Expansion and acquisitions
With about 1,300 employees — seven times more than in 2024 —, the company raised 1.8 billion dollars in July. In June 2025, it acquired Grob, specialized in light aircraft, to develop the CA-1 Europa, which will be 11 meters long and have a maximum takeoff weight of four tons.
The first real flight is scheduled for next year.