According to photographs that appeared in Russian media, the Ukrainian military transformed an extremely inexpensive cardboard-made drone by the SYPAQ company in Australia into a kamikaze drone.
The Australian company, SYPAQ, manufactures the Corvo family of extremely affordable disposable transport UAVs. In reality, they are constructed of cardboard.
According to the Australian company, the Corvo Precision Payload Delivery System – Heavy Lift (PPDS-HL) is a low-cost disposable SUAS (Small Unmanned Aircraft System) optimized for use in a wide variety of roles in the modern battlespace.
The company states in its official brochure that the flexible nature of the PPDS-HL platform enables the end user to innovate in the battlespace and to rapidly repurpose the system to meet new and emerging operational requirements.
Various sources estimate the price of a “cardboard” drone to range between $670 and $3,530.
In March 2023, Ukraine acquired hundreds of SYPAQ PPDS drones every month. The Ukrainian military has recently transformed cargo drones into attack drones.
Israeli sources say that the Iranians may use a web of “straw” companies to acquire the cardboard drones and equip them with warheads. These Iranian companies are used to bypass the international sanctions imposed on Iran.
If this happens, the Israeli air defence systems will have to be equipped with sensors that can overcome the problem of the low radar cross-section of drones made of cardboard.
