Japan eyes low-cost cardboard drones that could be hard to detect for military use

Japan’s defense ministry is partnering with startup Air Kamui on corrugated-cardboard drones that are cheap, fast to assemble, and harder for radar to spot.

The AirKamuy 150 is already in use by the navy as an aerial target, showing how the concept is moving from testing into practice.

Japan is broadening drone adoption across the military and domestic supply chain to improve training, surveillance, and readiness at lower cost.

The approach reflects growing interest in expendable, scalable UAVs that can be mass-produced and potentially used for reconnaissance and defense support.