Building Defense Technologies to Protect Democracies | Torsten Reil, Helsing

Torsten Reil has spent his career working at the intersection of artificial intelligence, simulation and entrepreneurship. He began as a biologist studying neural networks and complex systems before founding NaturalMotion, whose technology was used in films including Lord of the Rings, Troy and Harry Potter and later in games including Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption. After building and selling NaturalMotion, he eventually returned to entrepreneurship to co-found Helsing, a European defense technology company focused on artificial intelligence and autonomous systems. Reil believes warfare is undergoing a fundamental shift from humans operating expensive weapons systems toward what he calls autonomous mass: large numbers of AI-controlled machines operating together. He explains why drones are making tanks, artillery and eventually crewed fighter jets increasingly vulnerable; how AI can navigate without GPS in jammed environments; and why Helsing developed Centaur, an AI fighter pilot that has controlled a real Saab Gripen in air combat against a human-operated aircraft. That work led Helsing to begin building its own autonomous fighter jet, the CA1 Europa. The underlying strategy is to combine simpler, mass-manufacturable hardware with increasingly capable software. Reil argues that future conflicts will become battles of materiel, making manufacturing capacity as important as technological sophistication. Helsing's HX-2 strike drone was redesigned to scale from dozens of units per month to a baseline of 1,000, with the ability to surge to 3,000. He also explains Helsing's concept of distributed “resilience factories,” which allow countries to manufacture systems domestically while reducing their dependence on vulnerable centralized production facilities. Reil also describes how he runs Helsing and why he considers talent density the most important ingredient in company performance and culture. The company closely monitors recruiting, conducts quarterly performance calibration and makes an unusually large investment in finding and retaining exceptional people. He discusses Helsing's values of “whatever it takes” and “the truth is in the field,” why founders should pursue ambitions large enough to matter, and why he believes commentary has little value compared with actually building something that changes the world. Show notes: https://www.davidsenra.com/episode/torsten-reil Made possible by Ramp: https://ramp.com AppLovin: https://applovin.com Deel: https://deel.com/senra David Senra Website: https://www.davidsenra.com X: https://x.com/davidsenra Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidsenra LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidsenra Facebook: https://www.linkedin.com/company/senrashow Threads: https://www.threads.com/@davidsenra Spotify: https://spti.fi/TVrr557 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4msoZtb Torsten Reil Helsing: https://helsing.ai X: https://x.com/torstenreil LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/torstenreil Chapters 00:00:00 Drones, Tanks & the Future of Warfare 00:07:08 Why Torsten Founded Helsing 00:09:27 Founder Conviction & Betting on European Defense 00:19:19 Helsing's Mission: Protecting Democracies 00:23:38 Programs of Record & Winning the Eurofighter Contract 00:28:35 Building a Superhuman AI Fighter Pilot 00:36:14 Deterrence, Autonomous Weapons & the Morality of Defense 00:42:11 Mass Manufacturing, Software & the Future of Materiel 00:48:33 Airbase Vulnerability, Procurement & Scaling Strike Drones 00:52:46 Talent Density, Hiring & Performance Management 00:59:44 How Torsten Hires Exceptional People 01:05:27 Helsing's Culture: Whatever It Takes & Truth Is in the Field 01:07:38 Deploying in Ukraine & the Weight of Defense Technology 01:10:50 NaturalMotion, Gaming & Torsten's Path Into AI 01:18:33 Outsiders, First Principles & Ambitious North Stars 01:20:54 Why Commentary Is Worthless & Founders Should Build

David SenrahostTorsten Reilguest

Aug 26, 20261h 23mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: August 26, 2026
Duration: 1h 23m
Channel: David Senra
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Torsten Reil has spent his career working at the intersection of artificial intelligence, simulation and entrepreneurship. He began as a biologist studying neural networks and complex systems before founding NaturalMotion, whose technology was used in films including Lord of the Rings, Troy and Harry Potter and later in games including Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption. After building and selling NaturalMotion, he eventually returned to entrepreneurship to co-found Helsing, a European defense technology company focused on artificial intelligence and autonomous systems. Reil believes warfare is undergoing a fundamental shift from humans operating expensive weapons systems toward what he calls autonomous mass: large numbers of AI-controlled machines operating together. He explains why drones are making tanks, artillery and eventually crewed fighter jets increasingly vulnerable; how AI can navigate without GPS in jammed environments; and why Helsing developed Centaur, an AI fighter pilot that has controlled a real Saab Gripen in air combat against a human-operated aircraft. That work led Helsing to begin building its own autonomous fighter jet, the CA1 Europa. The underlying strategy is to combine simpler, mass-manufacturable hardware with increasingly capable software. Reil argues that future conflicts will become battles of materiel, making manufacturing capacity as important as technological sophistication. Helsing's HX-2 strike drone was redesigned to scale from dozens of units per month to a baseline of 1,000, with the ability to surge to 3,000. He also explains Helsing's concept of distributed “resilience factories,” which allow countries to manufacture systems domestically while reducing their dependence on vulnerable centralized production facilities. Reil also describes how he runs Helsing and why he considers talent density the most important ingredient in company performance and culture. The company closely monitors recruiting, conducts quarterly performance calibration and makes an unusually large investment in finding and retaining exceptional people. He discusses Helsing's values of “whatever it takes” and “the truth is in the field,” why founders should pursue ambitions large enough to matter, and why he believes commentary has little value compared with actually building something that changes the world. Show notes: https://www.davidsenra.com/episode/torsten-reil Made possible by Ramp: https://ramp.com AppLovin: https://applovin.com Deel: https://deel.com/senra David Senra Website: https://www.davidsenra.com X: https://x.com/davidsenra Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidsenra LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidsenra Facebook: https://www.linkedin.com/company/senrashow Threads: https://www.threads.com/@davidsenra Spotify: https://spti.fi/TVrr557 Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4msoZtb Torsten Reil Helsing: https://helsing.ai X: https://x.com/torstenreil LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/torstenreil Chapters 00:00:00 Drones, Tanks & the Future of Warfare 00:07:08 Why Torsten Founded Helsing 00:09:27 Founder Conviction & Betting on European Defense 00:19:19 Helsing's Mission: Protecting Democracies 00:23:38 Programs of Record & Winning the Eurofighter Contract 00:28:35 Building a Superhuman AI Fighter Pilot 00:36:14 Deterrence, Autonomous Weapons & the Morality of Defense 00:42:11 Mass Manufacturing, Software & the Future of Materiel 00:48:33 Airbase Vulnerability, Procurement & Scaling Strike Drones 00:52:46 Talent Density, Hiring & Performance Management 00:59:44 How Torsten Hires Exceptional People 01:05:27 Helsing's Culture: Whatever It Takes & Truth Is in the Field 01:07:38 Deploying in Ukraine & the Weight of Defense Technology 01:10:50 NaturalMotion, Gaming & Torsten's Path Into AI 01:18:33 Outsiders, First Principles & Ambitious North Stars 01:20:54 Why Commentary Is Worthless & Founders Should Build

SPEAKERS

David Senra
host
Host of the podcast Founders.
Torsten Reil
guest
Co-founder of Helsing and founder of NaturalMotion.

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of David Senra, featuring David Senra and Torsten Reil, Building Defense Technologies to Protect Democracies | Torsten Reil, Helsing explores helsing’s Torsten Reil on autonomous warfare, deterrence, and talent density Torsten Reil argues that Ukraine demonstrates a decisive shift to drone-centric warfare where drones provide both pervasive surveillance and rapid strike, making tanks and traditional artillery increasingly obsolete and dangerous to operate.

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