Japan Is Building Cardboard Suicide Drones
Japan's defense ministry has begun using the AirKamuy 150, a low-cost, flatpack cardboard drone, primarily as a target for military training. The drone, which can be assembled in minutes and flies up to 50 miles, is designed for mass production and potential use in swarms for defensive or offensive purposes. Developed in collaboration with a startup, the initiative reflects a broader global trend toward affordable, disposable drone technology in modern warfare.
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Japan’s Minister of Defense Shinjirō Koizumi posed with a cardboard drone on Monday during a meeting with drone manufacturer AirKamuy. The AirKamuy 150 is a cheap pre-fab cardboard drone meant to die on the battlefield and it comes shipped in a flatpack like an IKEA shelf. According to Koizumi, Japan’s military has already begun to use the cardboard drone. “The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force is already utilizing them as targets,” he said in a post on X. “In aiming to become the Self-Defense Forces that makes the most extensive use of unmanned assets, including drones, in the world, strengthening collaboration with startups enthusiastic about the defense sector is indispensable.”In an interview with Japan Times last year, AirKamuy CEO Yamaguchi Takumi said that each of the…
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