Helsing anchors Nordic push in Stockholm as AI-Gripen work gains traction

Helsing, the Germany-based defence technology company founded by Spotify co-founder Daniel Ek, is opening an office in Stockholm as part of an expanded investment in the Swedish and wider Nordic defence market.

The move formalises several years of cooperation with Swedish stakeholders across industry, government and the armed forces. 

Stockholm is being positioned as the centre of Helsing’s Nordic operations, with a focus on AI-enabled defence solutions and regional capability development.

The company announced the development in a press release.

- Sweden is a cornerstone of European security, and for Helsing we see this as a new ‘home market’. Our work integrating our autonomy system, Centaur, with Gripen has already demonstrated that the combination of Swedish industrial excellence and our technology can deliver a distinctive defence capability, said Gundbert Scherf, co-CEO and co-founder of Helsing.

AI Capabilities

The company has already demonstrated advanced AI capabilities in cooperation with Swedish partners. 

Under contract from the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration, Helsing’s AI agent Centaur conducted flights in a Gripen E aircraft over the Baltic Sea, performing beyond-visual-range combat manoeuvres. 

This is among the first known instances of AI operating within an operational combat aircraft.

Helsing has also signed a contract worth a three-digit million euro sum to equip the Eurofighter with Cirra, its AI-enabled electronic warfare software developed in cooperation with Saab.