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Ukraine says Australia’s ‘cardboard drones’ used in raid on Russian airfield

  • The drones, which are actually made of a wax foamboard, come flat-packed and can fly up to 120km – putting Kursk just within Ukraine’s reach
  • They were designed for reconnaissance or delivery rather than for carrying explosives. It’s unclear how exactly they would be used in an attack

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A “cardboard drone” from Australia of the type Ukraine said was used to carry out an attack on a Russian airfield. Photo: Telegram/@Figherbomber
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Ukraine claims that an attack that damaged five fighter planes at a Russian airfield was carried out using “cardboard” drones from Australia.
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) told the Kyiv Post on Saturday that it had struck a MiG-29 and four Su-30 fighter jets at Kursk airfield in western Russia.

As well as the planes, the drones damaged two Pantsir missile launchers and part of an S-300 air defence system, SBU told the outlet.

A screengrab of the post by Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia Vasyl Mryoshnychenko on X, formerly known as Twitter, vouching for the use of Australian cardboard drones to attack Russia. Photo: X/@AmbVasyl
A screengrab of the post by Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia Vasyl Mryoshnychenko on X, formerly known as Twitter, vouching for the use of Australian cardboard drones to attack Russia. Photo: X/@AmbVasyl

According to prominent pro-Russian Telegram account @fighterbomber, which closely follows the Russian air force, the attack was the first use of Australian-provided delivery drones made of cardboard.

The claim could not be independently confirmed, but on Tuesday Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia Vasyl Mryoshnychenko vouched for it, saying in a post on X: “Cardboard drones from Australia used in attack on Russian airfield”.

The claim is not as wild as it sounds. In March, Australian defence manufacturer SYPAQ announced it had secured a US$700,000 contract with the Australian government to produce its Corvo Precision Payload Delivery System drones for Ukraine.

The Corvo drones are described by SYPAQ as “the cardboard plane”, but per an earlier company press release they’re made from waxed foamboard. They come flat-packed and can fly up to 120km (75 miles) – putting Kursk just within reach of the borders of Ukraine.

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