Building Defense Technologies to Protect Democracies | Torsten Reil, Helsing
Aug 26, 2026 · 1:23:55
Torsten Reil, co-founder of European defense-tech company Helsing, argues that AI-controlled drones and autonomous fighter jets are making tanks, artillery, and crewed aircraft obsolete, and that future conflicts will be battles of materiel won by whoever can mass-produce weapons. Citing Ukraine, he says drones have cut frontline survival times to minutes, and explains how Helsing's HX-2 strike drone scaled from dozens to a baseline of 1,000 units per month, surging to 3,000. He also reveals that Helsing's Centaur AI flew a Saab Gripen in air combat, leading the company to build the autonomous jet CA1 Europa. Reil discusses founding Helsing in 2021 to protect democracies, Daniel Ek's early 100-million-euro investment, and the talent-density philosophy that shapes his leadership.
