--- title: "Japan Deploying Combat Drones Made of Cardboard" description: "Japan's defense minister recently announced the country has been making regular use of ultra low-cost cardboard drones." date: "2026-05-10" modified: "2026-05-10" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/robots-and-machines/japan-cardboard-drones" categories: - "Drones" - "Future Materials" - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" - "Science & Energy" --- # Japan Deploying Combat Drones Made of Cardboard ![Four men in suits stand in an office holding a large drone made of cardboard. The drone has the word "AirKanuy" printed on one wing. The office features wooden paneling, maps on the walls, and a desk in the background.]() *AirKamuy* We've heard of [DIY drone kits]() before, but this is ridiculous. Japan's minister of defense Shinjirō Koizumi recently announced that the island country had begun deploying easily-replaceable combat drones made almost entirely of corrugated cardboard. Developed by Japanese arms manufacturer AirKamuy, the AirKamuy 150 drone is a fixed-wing craft constructed out of the same stuff as Amazon boxes, designed to be spat out of an assembly line en masse. According to a [post by Koizumi]() on X-formerly-Twitter, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force is already using the drones as "targets," though whether for Japanese military target practice or as some type of decoy isn't entirely clear. https://twitter.com/shinjirokoiz/status/2048735873550962809?s=20 According [to *Tom's Hardware*](), the flying shoeboxes cost between $2,000 to $2,500 per piece, which are bargain bin prices compared to the already [low-cost Shahed drone]() deployed by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps that cost anywhere from $20,000 to $50,000 apiece. Each drone is also foldable, and can be fully assembled out-of-the-box in around five minutes, an AirKamuy employee [told *NHK World-Japan*](). Despite sporting a basic propulsion system held up by cardboard, they boast a flight-time of 80 minutes, and an impressive top-speed of around 62 miles per hour. Per AirKamuy, the rapid production process is meant to allow the drones to be developed by any old machinist with access to a cardboard die-cutter, as opposed to a highly specialized aerospace company. "There is strong demand for low-cost drones that can operate in large numbers, and over long distances," AirKamuy CEO Yamaguchi Takumi in an interview with *NHK*. "This model can be manufactured at any cardboard plant, ensuring high mass production capability and a robust supply chain." **More on drones:** *[The Number of Drones Being Deployed to Surveil Anti-Trump Protestors Is Staggering]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()