Cardboard Drones Are a Master Class in Stealth.
Drones have emerged as one of the key weapons in the present wars. From hunter-killer craft stalking tanks with missiles to cheap quadcopters keeping watch over enemy trenches, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become as ubiquitous as tanks and machine guns. After all, surprise attacks and stealthy maneuvers become a lot more difficult when the enemy always has eyes in the sky.
But the downside to reliance on drones is massive attrition. Slow, low-flying, and unarmored, drones are prey to shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, anti-aircraft cannons, and even machine guns and rifles. Add in counter-UAV jammers, bad weather, and inexperienced operators, and it’s no wonder that lots of drones are lost in the battlefield.
The drones made out of cardboard can become a solution. Ukrainian troops have been using cardboard UAVs manufactured by Australian company Sypaq.
At least 100 of the flat-packed drones are being supplied to Ukraine each month, according to The Australian (the newspaper).
Sypaq Drone - Corvo Precision Cargo Delivery System is a propeller-driven drone that can be assembled with just glue and tape. These drones are controlled by a military-grade guidance system that requires no user input once the aircraft is launched.
Cardboard drones can carry payloads of 3 kilograms and 5 kilograms. Though not built from durable metal or plastic, some cardboard drones drones have managed to make up to 60 flights each. The cardboard is wax-coated to enable flights in wet weather.
The Corvo cardboard drone comes as a flatpack that can be easily assembled and launched with a catapult. It has a flight range of up to 120kms.
These drones can be equipped with cameras and other sensors for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions. In addition, can deliver ammunition, food, and medicine directly to the front line. Also cardboard drones are capable to drop small explosive devices.
The drones come folded up to the size of a pizza box, and 24 can be packed into a container.
Perhaps the most important is the cost. At US$670–US$3350 per drone, they’re about the price of a DJI quadcopter, and far less than a big US$30 million MQ-9 Reaper.