'From the inventors of origami': Japan joins Australia in building cardboard drones designed for one-way missions and swarming targets and at just
$2,000, theyre scarily cheap

Date:
Fri, 08 May 2026 19:45:00 +0000

Description:
Japans cardboard drones introduce low-cost swarm warfare concepts, combining rapid production and deployment with unresolved questions about durability
and battlefield effectiveness

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Cardboard drones reduce production costs compared to traditional military platforms Flat-packed
design enables rapid transport and large-scale deployment Assembly requires minimal training and only a few minutes per unit Japan has begun deploying expendable cardboard drones developed by a domestic manufacturer, AirKamuy, marking a major shift toward low-cost autonomous warfare.

The drone, known as the AirKamuy 150, is a lightweight fixed-wing platform built primarily from corrugated cardboard with a water-resistant coating.
Each unit costs roughly $2,000 to $2,500, which is dramatically cheaper than conventional military drones. Latest Videos From You may like Skydio just landed a record $52 million drones order from the US military Could Ukrainian drones replace DJI in the US? Ukraine turns a 55-year-old Antonov An-28 into
a drone killing machine What makes cardboard drones effective for swarm warfare The AirKamuy 150 can travel roughly 50 miles or stay airborne for about 80 minutes using an electric propulsion system.

It can carry payloads weighing up to three pounds, including reconnaissance equipment or small munitions for one-way attack missions.

The drones are shipped flat-packed, allowing roughly 500 units to fit inside
a single standard shipping container.

Each drone can be assembled in five to ten minutes by personnel with minimal training. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

The cardboard construction also provides a secondary tactical advantage:
lower radar reflectivity than many conventional aerospace materials.

"There is strong demand for low cost drones that can operate in large numbers and over long distances," said AirKamuy CEO Yamaguchi Takumi.

The company says the drones can be manufactured at any cardboard plant, ensuring high mass production capability and a robust supply chain. What to read next Nigerian startup builds AI drone systems to protect Africas vital industries Ukraine becomes the first country to scale long-distance remote-controlled interceptor drones Who needs a DJI? This ultimate DIY drone hits 67mph and costs just $155

Australia has already been supplying similar cardboard drones to Ukrainian forces, with around 100 units delivered each month.

Those Australian drones, produced by SYPAQ, have been used for ammunition delivery, reconnaissance flights, and even dropping explosive devices. Cheap expendable drones are changing the battlefield Rather than protecting a small number of extremely expensive platforms, militaries are increasingly experimenting with budget drones that can be sacrificed during missions.

Swarms of these drones could overwhelm air defense systems, force enemy radar activation, or absorb defensive fire ahead of more valuable assets.

In Ukraine, both Russian and Ukrainian forces have already used large numbers of low-cost drones for reconnaissance and direct attacks.

The AirKamuy 150 may represent more than an unusual cardboard aircraft; it
may offer a glimpse into a future defined by vast numbers of cheap, rapidly replaceable autonomous systems.

However, in military warfare, it remains a beginner drone whose effectiveness against a $2 billion air defense system is not proven.

The logistics of launching 500 drones from a single shipping container are appealing, but recovering battle data from drones that do not return is a genuine intelligence challenge.

For a product introduced under the banner of origami, the AirKamuy 150 looks surprisingly conventional.

A folding paper crane this is not, but the tried and tested fixed-wing design is hard to beat for endurance and payload efficiency.

The tactical value of this cheap drone in contested airspace will ultimately be measured not in dollars per unit, but in how many reach their targets before being shot down.

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/from-the-inventors-of-origami-japan-joins-austra lia-in-building-cardboard-drones-designed-for-one-way-missions-and-swarming-ta rgets-and-at-just-usd2-000-theyre-scarily-cheap


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