A new air defense system was introduced in Germany. Helsing introduced the CONTRA air defense system, which is based on artificial intelligence and includes two interceptor aircraft - AD-1 Inferno and AD-2 Ambush.
The company manager said the guidance system is based on their AI and integrates radar, electro‑optical, infrared, and acoustic data from sensors of all manufacturers using an open architecture. Both missiles are also equipped with a radar seeker. The AD‑1 and AD‑2 are now being tested and are expected to enter the market in 2027. The AD‑1 is a turbo‑silo powered loitering aircraft capable of loitering over a specific area. Its speed is over 700 km/h, altitude over 9 km, and range up to 20 km. The AD‑2 has similar range and loitering altitude, but it is a full‑size cruise missile with a solid‑fuel engine that provides speeds up to Mach 2.5. It is said that the missiles are launched from special containers and contain 20 AD‑1 or 40 AD‑2 missiles. The cost of the AD‑1/2 does not exceed €100,000, and the seeker price is a tenth of its counterparts. Production volume is expected to be several thousand missiles per month after development is completed in the second half of 2027.