The Ukrainian military uses ultra-cheap disposable cargo drones of the Australian company SYPAQ to provide logistics missions in hard-to-reach places. This was reported by the Australian publication The Australian. Ross Osborne, chief engineer of SYPAQ, made statements about the use of unmanned aerial vehicles they produce in Ukraine.

According to Osborne, the company has accomplished one of the most ambitious tasks ahead of them: delivering large numbers of drones. Sensitive Load Carrying System (PPDS) directly to the scene of hostilities. Drones are supplied in the form of blanks made of flat cardboard sheets, on which the aircraft can be easily mounted.

“Low profile is an important feature, we can stack them on a pallet. We’ve also developed modular avionics and engine kits that we hope can be reused.“, – said.

The manufacturer noted that the Ukrainian army has already received more than 60 deliveries from this company. About 100 Australian cardboard planes are shipped each month. The main task of drones is to deliver ammunition, food and medicine directly to the front. But reconnaissance flights and the launch of explosive devices are also possible. Osborne emphasized that drones are designed to operate in harsh conditions:

“The strong cardboard was impregnated with wax to prevent the hull from collapsing and the drones falling further in wet weather conditions.”

According to him, there was no problem in cooperation despite the language barrier between English and Ukrainian. Ukrainian soldiers at the frontWe were able to successfully use our system with just instructions and videos without any training from us.“.

The Chief Engineer also explained that SYPAQ drones can be used for other missions, such as dropping bombs on targets or reconnaissance, in addition to performing basic cargo duties. Depending on the model, the drone can lift up to 3 kg or 5 kg. Depending on the load, the aircraft can carry cargo for 1-3 hours at a distance of 40-120 km.