Cardboard drones that cost $3,000 and take five minutes to assemble could change how wars are fought

The conflicts in Ukraine and Iran have revealed a hard lesson for modern militaries: cheap, expendable drones deployed at scale can be just as strategically valuable as expensive precision weapons. A Japanese startup is now pushing that logic further, swapping composite airframes for something far more humble – cardboard.

Japan's defense ministry recently sat down with Air Kamuy, a drone manufacturer whose signature design relies on corrugated cardboard construction. The meeting signals Tokyo's broader ambition to carve out a leadership role in low-cost drone production as mass-market models reshape the calculus of modern warfare.