Sign up to see the future, today<\/p>\n
Can\u2019t-miss innovations from the bleeding edge of science and tech<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve heard of DIY drone kits<\/a> before, but this is ridiculous.<\/p>\n Japan\u2019s minister of defense Shinjir\u014d 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.<\/p>\n According to a post by Koizumi<\/a> on X-formerly-Twitter, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force is already using the drones as \u201ctargets,\u201d though whether for Japanese military target practice or as some type of decoy isn\u2019t entirely clear.<\/p>\n \u4eca\u65e5\u306f\u6bb5\u30dc\u30fc\u30eb\u88fd\u30c9\u30ed\u30fc\u30f3\u3067\u6709\u540d\u306a\u30a8\u30a2\u30ab\u30e0\u30a4\u306e\u7686\u3055\u3093\u3068\u610f\u898b\u4ea4\u63db\u3092\u3055\u305b\u3066\u9802\u304d\u307e\u3057\u305f\u3002\u6d77\u4e0a\u81ea\u885b\u968a\u3067\u306f\u65e2\u306b\u6a19\u7684\u3068\u3057\u3066\u6d3b\u7528\u3057\u3066\u3044\u307e\u3059\u3002\u30c9\u30ed\u30fc\u30f3\u3092\u306f\u3058\u3081\u3068\u3059\u308b\u7121\u4eba\u30a2\u30bb\u30c3\u30c8\u3092\u4e16\u754c\u3067\u6700\u3082\u99c6\u4f7f\u3059\u308b\u81ea\u885b\u968a\u3092\u76ee\u6307\u3059\u4e0a\u3067\u3001\u9632\u885b\u5206\u91ce\u306b\u610f\u6b32\u3042\u308b\u30b9\u30bf\u30fc\u30c8\u30a2\u30c3\u30d7\u306e\u7686\u3055\u3093\u3068\u9023\u643a\u5f37\u5316\u306f\u4e0d\u53ef\u6b20\u3067\u3059\u3002\u4eca\u65e5\u306f\u975e\u5e38\u306b\u6fc3\u5bc6\u306a\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/OJwVOpFiBT<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 \u5c0f\u6cc9\u9032\u6b21\u90ce (@shinjirokoiz) April 27, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n According to Tom\u2019s Hardware<\/a>, 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<\/a> deployed by Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guard Corps that cost anywhere from $20,000 to $50,000 apiece.<\/p>\n 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<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is strong demand for low-cost drones that can operate in large numbers, and over long distances,\u201d AirKamuy CEO Yamaguchi Takumi in an interview with\u00a0NHK. \u201cThis model can be manufactured at any cardboard plant, ensuring high mass production capability and a robust supply chain.\u201d<\/p>\n More on drones: The Number of Drones Being Deployed to Surveil Anti-Trump Protestors Is Staggering<\/a><\/p>\n \t