Australia provides the Ukrainian Armed Forces with disposable cardboard PPDS drones
Load up to 5 kg, up to 3 hours in the air and a distance of up to 120 km
The Australian company SYPAQ is supplying the Ukrainian military with cheap, disposable Precision Payload Delivery System (PPDS) drones designed to deliver cargo in hard-to-reach areas.
According to SYPAQ Chief Engineer Ross Osborne, the drones are supplied in the form of flat cardboard blanks that can be easily assembled using ordinary rubber bands. At the same time, the cardboard is strong enough and additionally impregnated with wax so that the structure does not collapse during use in wet weather conditions.
“The low profile is a key feature, we can stack them on a pallet. We’ve also developed modular avionics and propulsion kits that we hope can be reused,” he said.
These disposable cardboard PPDS drones are designed to deliver a variety of essential supplies to the front line, including ammunition, food and medicine. In addition, the UAVs can be used for reconnaissance purposes and to drop explosive devices on occupation positions. There are various modifications of the PPDS that can carry a payload of up to 3 kg or 5 kg. Depending on the load, a cardboard drone can stay in the air for 1 to 3 hours and cover a distance of 40-120 km.
It is noted that the Ukrainian army has already received more than 60 deliveries from SYPAQ. About 100 units of Australian cardboard drones are delivered every month.
