General Discussion

The Aussie cardboard drones hitting Russia in massed attacks

Dubbed the “origami of death”, Melbourne-made flatpack drones assembled with glue and rubber bands have been hitting targets inside Russia since June, most recently destroying US$100 million worth of aircraft.

Family-owned Australian company SYPAQ Systems has been sending 100 cardboard drones a month to Ukraine for the last year. Designed to carry more benign payloads, some have been hitting deep inside Russia loaded with explosives.

The cardboard Corvo drone takes an hour to assemble with glue and rubber-bands. The “Precision Payload Delivery System” is backed with sophisticated software and has been donated to Ukraine by the Australian government.

The Corvo, designed to carry 3kg payloads up to 120km can still fly with loads up to 5kg. “I call it a flying shoebox,” company founder George Vicino told the Build it. They ‘ll Come podcast. “Whatever you can fit in a shoebox you can get it to people 120 km away.”

The Corvo, reported to cost between $1,000 and $5,000 apiece, is made from waxed cardboard and uses off-the-shelf hardware, including an Android tablet for the pilot. One bolt is required – for the propeller.

The Corvo cardboard drone is designed and priced to be expendable, but the waxed cardboard is waterproof, so it can be reused up to 60 times.

https://www.forbes.com.au/covers/innovation/the-aussie-cardboard-drones-hitting-russia-in-massed-attacks/