Australian cardboard drones already performing battlefield missions in Ukraine
Ukraine uses inexpensive, disposable, Australian-made Corvo cargo drones to perform logistical tasks, Ross Osborne, chief engineer of Melbourne-based SYPAQ, told The Australian newspaper on March 3.
The company managed to accomplish one of its most ambitious tasks — to deliver many Corvo Precision Payload Delivery System (PPDS) drones to the battlefield, he said. They are delivered in the form of blanks, which are flat sheets of cardboard that can be used to assemble the UAV.
About 100 Australian drones are delivered every month, the manufacturer said. The Armed Forces of Ukraine have already sent more than 60 on sorties to the front line. They can be launched manually or with a catapult. The flight range is 40-120 kilometers.
The primary task of the drones is to deliver ammunition, food, and medicine directly to the front line. However, they can also perform reconnaissance flights or drop small explosive devices.
The drones are designed to operate in difficult conditions, said Osborne. To prevent the fuselage from collapsing and failing during wet weather, the sturdy cardboard is coated with wax.
In February, Australia pledged to provide Ukraine with unmanned aerial systems worth $33 million.
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