May 3 (Asia Today) -- Japan is accelerating deployment of low-cost "cardboard drones," signaling a shift in modern warfare from technological sophistication to cost efficiency and mass deployment.
The drones, developed by Japanese defense startup AirKamuy and supplied to the defense ministry, are designed with reinforced cardboard structures that reduce radar detection while dramatically lowering production costs.
The model, known as the "AirKamuy 150," represents what analysts describe as a "low-tech high-tech" approach. Its wings and fuselage are made largely from specially coated reinforced cardboard, engineered to withstand humidity and temperature changes.
Each unit costs about 300,000 yen, or roughly $2,000, making it less than 1% of the price of conventional small military drones used by the U.S. Navy or Japan's Self-Defense Forces.
The drones are delivered in flat-pack kits and can be assembled in about five minutes without specialized tools, allowing rapid deployment by ordinary soldiers.
