Drones made of cardboard and rubber bands are helping Ukrainians repel the Russian invasion. From Australia, at least 100 cardboard drones are dispatched every month that enable Kyiv forces to drop small bombs, deliver supplies and carry out reconnaissance on the front lines.
Australian Defense Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Richard Marlesand the Ukrainian ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenkovisited the Australian International Air Show last Thursday, where these unmanned devices are exhibited.
Myroshnychenko assured that her appearance was deceptive. “It looks like something kids would play with, but when you see what it can do it’s really amazing”said the Ukrainian ambassador. “They have been very good at dealing a lot of damage to the enemy.”
built with a thick wax-coated cardboard and sturdy rubber bands that hold the wings, are controlled by a military-grade guidance system that requires no user intervention once launched by hand or catapult. They cost between 641 and libra3,166 euros each.
Ross Osborne, Sypaq’s chief engineer, stated that the company had spent a lot of time designing it so that it could be used by lay operators. “Ukraine was already a customer of UAS [sistemas aéreos no tripulados] very capable, but a customer who doesn’t speak the best English. They have been able to use our system no need for training for our part, only with instructions and videos, and deploy it very successfully”, he explained to the newspaper “The Times”.