8 Dec. 2024: It’s made of paper, so it’s cheap. It’s not even on radar. Planning to deploy early next year.
Due to the nature of the material, the military introduces a corrugated drone (unmanned aircraft) that is not on the radar and is inexpensive even without special treatment. The move is aimed at strengthening drone power, which has proven its tactical value on the battlefield in Ukraine.
According to the Ministry of National Defense on the 3rd, the military plans to complete the contract for the introduction of corrugated drones by the end of this year and receive about 100 units early next year and deploy them to the drone operation command.
Regarding the introduction of corrugated cardboard drones, Ministry of National Defense spokesman Jeon Ha-kyu said at a briefing, “We are pushing to strengthen drone power in various ways, including domestic and international purchases.” “It is a well-known fact that drones have emerged as game changers in the modern war,” he said. “The military is working to supplement essential power for the necessary parts.”
The military is reportedly considering first operating corrugated drones for reconnaissance and introducing or developing them for future attacks.
Corrugated drones are inexpensive to manufacture among drones whose low price is advantageous in the first place. Moreover, paper is difficult to detect because it rarely reflects radar signals. This is why corrugated drones are nicknamed “cost-effectiveness (performance versus price) stealth power.”
Currently, these corrugated drones are being operated efficiently by Ukrainian forces against Russian forces on the battlefield. According to the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), Ukrainian forces launched corrugated drones imported from Australia in August last year to attack a military airfield in the southwestern Russian state of Kursk. This resulted in the destruction of five fighter jets, including Su-30s, and the damage to missile launchers and parts of air defense systems.