Future War Tech Analysis Desk
German drone maker Helsing has enlisted Japanese e-commerce and finance company Rakuten to help finalize a deal to sell unmanned systems to Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Forces, Defense News reported. Rakuten’s involvement gives Helsing a Japanese partner as the country evaluates the company’s HX-2 strike drone.
The Ground Self-Defense Forces are conducting field tests of the HX-2, with the trials scheduled to continue through the end of September, a Rakuten spokesperson said. The testing is the next defined milestone in Helsing’s effort to advance its systems in Japan. The reported arrangement does not establish that a final contract has been signed or that the HX-2 has been selected for procurement.
Helsing said it reached an “initial agreement” earlier this year for the Japanese government to use its systems. A company spokesperson said the move was made possible by an unnamed local brokerage partner. Rakuten’s role identifies that partner. The Ground Self-Defense Forces did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The arrangement links Helsing, a European defense technology startup, with Rakuten, a Japanese technology and financial conglomerate. Rakuten is seeking a larger role in helping startups enter Japan’s defense sector, despite having limited defense experience.
Hideaki Mukai, chief of staff to Rakuten’s chief executive, said the company wants to help startups navigate complex procurement processes, communicate with government agencies and manage lengthy procurement cycles. “Startups often face significant structural barriers,” Mukai said in a statement cited by Reuters. He said Rakuten would use its business capabilities to connect emerging companies and technologies with the needs of government agencies.
Rakuten has already helped arrange access for another drone technology company. Earlier this year, it organized a demonstration in Japan for Swarmer, a U.S.-listed Ukrainian drone software maker. The late-April exercise involved software coordinating a drone swarm in a seek-and-hit mission for a Japanese military unit. Rakuten has also helped other Ukrainian defense companies display products at arms fairs in Japan.
The Helsing effort comes as Japan increases military spending and eases some arms-export rules, developments that have drawn overseas defense companies seeking Japanese partners. For companies without established relationships with Japan’s defense agencies, local intermediaries can help address administrative and procurement barriers. Rakuten’s role with Helsing reflects an attempt to connect an overseas startup with Japan’s government defense market while the company’s technology is undergoing evaluation.
Founded in 2021, Helsing initially focused on artificial-intelligence software designed to analyze battlefield data. It later expanded into autonomous strike drones, underwater surveillance systems and military aircraft applications. The Munich-based company has secured contracts with European governments and defense companies and has supplied drones for Ukraine with backing from German government funding. It raised $1.8 billion in a funding round in July, according to the report.
The HX-2 evaluation remains the immediate focus of the arrangement. The tests are due to run through September. The initial agreement and Rakuten’s brokerage role indicate an effort to move Helsing’s work in Japan beyond demonstrations and trials and toward a formal military transaction, but the reported information does not confirm that procurement has been approved.