The launch comes amid growing European concerns over data privacy, surveillance and dependence on US technology German defense firm Helsing has unveiled a new artificial intelligence platform designed to analyze military threats and support battlefield decisions, positioning itself as a European rival to US technology company Palantir. The Munich-based company, known for developing military drones, announced on Wednesday that its new platform, dubbed Clarity, can process vast amounts of intelligence to identify military assets, facilities and enemy positions. The system can also help armed forces select suitable weapons to engage targets, potentially speeding up battlefield decisions, according to Helsing. Human operators review the evidence, select targets and authorize each hand-off to a weapon, the company said. “All armed forces need an intelligence capability that keeps pace with the fight. Autonomous systems play an increasingly important role,” Helsing co-founder and co-CEO Gundbert Scherf said in a statement. “A capability this critical must be sovereign,” he added, stressing that Clarity was developed in Europe and runs on customers’ own infrastructure under their control. Europe's growing concerns The launch puts Helsing in competition with Palantir, whose Maven Smart System offers similar military intelligence capabilities. NATO acquired a version of the system for its Allied Command Operations in March 2025. Founded in 2003 by billionaire Peter Thiel and others, Palantir develops data-analysis software used by governments, intelligence agencies and armed forces worldwide. However, its growing presence in European defense and security systems has triggered concerns about data privacy, surveillance and dependence on American technology, including the implications of reliance on US providers under President Donald Trump. On November 8, protesters rallied in Warsaw against a potential agreement between Palantir and the country's Defense Ministry. Poland’s Defense Ministry signed a memorandum on cooperation with the US company in December 2024. In October 2025, the two sides signed a letter of intent concerning the possible use of Maven, although no binding contract has been concluded. Similar concerns have also surfaced in Germany and the UK, highlighting a wider debate over technological sovereignty and the security of critical defense infrastructure. Palantir rejects suggestions that its software compromises national control. It says the proposed Polish system would operate on Polish military infrastructure under the customer’s exclusive control, without giving Palantir independent access to the data or a mechanism to remotely disable the system.
