European defense-AI leader Helsing has selected Martinsburg, West Virginia as the site of its first U.S. manufacturing facility, a $50 million "Resilience Factory" that will produce more than 2,000 HX-2 strike drones per month once fully operational. The announcement was made on July 14 alongside West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey and marks Helsing's largest industrial commitment outside Europe to date.
An Atlantic bridgehead for the HX-2
The HX-2 is a roughly 12 kg (26 lb) X-wing loitering munition with a 100 km range and an onboard AI payload for terminal guidance. Helsing launched the platform in December 2024 and has since shipped thousands of units to Ukraine, where they are deployed along the front lines. Allied armed forces including the U.S. Army have tested the HX-2 during exercise Flytrap in Lithuania, validating a design that Helsing pitches as "affordable precision" for high-volume attritable strike.
Berkeley County lands 60 high-paying jobs
The Martinsburg plant will create at least 60 full-time positions with an average annual salary of $125,000, with initial operating capability targeted for November 2026 and full-rate production a year later. West Virginia was chosen after a competitive nationwide site search. "Helsing's decision to establish its first U.S. manufacturing facility in West Virginia is another signal that our state is becoming a destination for advanced manufacturing and defense technology," said Governor Morrisey. Jennifer McArdle, Helsing's general manager for the United States, added that "industrial capacity is a critical strategic advantage" in modern deterrence.
Riding a $1.8B war chest
The factory decision arrived days after Helsing announced a $1.8 billion Series E round at an $18 billion valuation, giving the Munich-based company the capital to spend on parallel U.S. and European industrial ramp. Helsing has also expanded its product portfolio well beyond the HX-2, from the CA-1 Europa fighter-companion drone to the RX-1 European robotics platform.
Onshoring loitering munitions
The Martinsburg build-out is emblematic of a broader U.S. push to onshore drone production. It follows this week's $500 million Neros contract with the U.S. Army and comes as European primes race to plant industrial flags in the American market ahead of a decade of expected Pentagon spend on affordable, mass-produced autonomous strike systems.
Reporting based on coverage from Helsing press release, Breaking Defense, DroneXL and The Defense Post.