The conflicts in Ukraine and Iran have taught modern military forces a profound lesson: cheap disposable drones deployed on a large scale can rival expensive precision weapons in strategic value. A Japanese startup is taking this logic to the next level, replacing traditional composite fuselages with corrugated cardboard.
Japan’s defense ministry recently held talks with drone manufacturer Air Kamuy, whose iconic designs feature corrugated cardboard construction. The meeting signals Japan's government's bid to take a leadership position in low-cost drone production as mass-market models reshape how modern warfare is calculated. The focus of the Ministry of Defense is the AirKamuy 150, a multi-role fixed-wing drone that is conceptually comparable to the US-made Lucas and Iran's Shahed, two designs that have proven their relevance on the battlefield. However, the AirKamuy 150 may be far less difficult to deploy than the two.
Iran's Shahed design rose to prominence when large-scale deployment began after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. The appeal is cost and volume: These drones can be launched quickly and cost a fraction of Tomahawk missiles. The United States later reverse-engineered the design and developed the Lucas drone, which was subsequently deployed against Iranian targets.
The AirKamuy 150 takes the cost-benefit argument even further. Each Lucas drone costs about $10,000 to make, while the Air Kamuy's cardboard design costs up to $3,000. It's also slightly faster, with a top speed of about 74 mph compared to the Lucas' 63 mph, and is significantly lighter.
The manufacturing advantages may be as compelling as the economics. Assembly takes about five minutes by hand, requires no specialist facilities and can theoretically be done by any company with access to standard cardboard stock. The fuselage also folds flat, simplifying transportation and logistics on site.
So far, Air Kamuy has primarily positioned its drones for target practice, testing and potential civilian applications such as package delivery and emergency response. But the involvement of the Ministry of Defense hints at the trajectory of military use. When the mission is a one-way flight, heavy armor becomes irrelevant. While the AirKamuy 150 has yet to be combat-tested, the company promotes "swarm attacks" as one of its possible uses. Since suicide drones by their very nature do not require heavy armor, disposable cardboard may prove to be an ideal material from which to construct them.
One significant limitation remains: range. Lucas is powered by a conventional gasoline engine and can fly 512 miles. The AirKamuy 150 is powered by electricity and has a flight time of about 80 minutes. This limitation will limit its combat range beyond short-range missions.
Despite this trade-off, the broader implications of this design deserve attention. As drones become increasingly autonomous, the development of artificial intelligence swarm software may allow them to overwhelm traditional air defense systems. Experiments over the past few months have demonstrated that large numbers of drones can operate together with minimal human intervention. If cheaper materials like cardboard lower the barrier to building larger swarms, the strategic algorithm for air defense may shift again.