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Ukraine claims it damaged prized Russian jets using 'cardboard' drones
from Australia in a daring raid
MIA JANKOWICZAUG 29, 2023, 18:39 IST

Ukraine claims it damaged prized Russian jets using 'cardboard' drones
from Australia in a daring raid
SYPAQ's Corvo PPDS droneSYPAQ

Ukraine claims it used cardboard drones from Australia to strike five
jets at a Russian air field.
Russia has made no mention of damage at the airfield but reported
strikes in the area.
Ukraine claimed that an attack that damaged five fighter planes at a
Russian airfield was carried out using "cardboard" drones from Australia.

Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) told the Kyiv Post on Saturday that it
had struck a MiG-29 four Su-30 fighter jets at Kursk airfield in western
Russia.

As well as the planes, the drones damaged two Pantsir missile launchers
and part of an S-300 air defense system, the SBU told the outlet.

According to prominent pro-Russian blogger @fighterbomber, which closely
follows the Russian air force, the attack was the first use of
Australian-provided delivery drones made of cardboard.

Insider could not independently confirm the claim, but on Tuesday
Ukraine's ambassador to Australia Vasyl Mryoshnychenko vouched for it,
saying in a post on X: "Cardboard drones from Australia used in attack
on Russian airfield."

The claim is not as wild as it sounds. In March, Australian defense
manufacturer SYPAQ announced it had secured a $700,000 contract with the
Australian government to produce its Corvo Precision Payload Delivery
System drones for Ukraine.

The Corvo drones are described by SYPAQ as "the cardboard plane," but
per an earlier company press release they're made from waxed foamboard.
They come flat-packed and can fly up to 75 miles — putting Kursk just
within reach of the borders of Ukraine.

Ukraine claims it damaged prized Russian jets using 'cardboard' drones
from Australia in a daring raid
SYPAQ's Corvo PPDS droneSYPAQ
They are designed for reconnaissance or delivery rather than for
carrying explosives.

It's unclear how exactly they would have been used as part of the latest
attack. Per @fighterbomber's claim, the attack combined explosive drones
with empty ones, suggesting the Corvo's lightweight board construction
would help the overall group evade radar.

Former Australian general Mick Ryan told The Age that it would be simple
to adapt the Corvo to carry explosives. SYPAQ declined to comment to the
paper on how the drones were used.

In a post about the drone attack, the Russian MoD's description of the
drones over Kursk said they were aircraft-style, which corresponds with
the Corvo design.

The strike would be a cost-effective way to take out exorbitant Russian
planes: A Su-30 is estimated to cost tens of millions of dollars to
manufacture.

The Russian MoD made no mention of damage at the airfield, simply saying
it had shot down two drones over Kursk and in Bryansk, around 150 miles
away. Meanwhile, Kursk's governor, Roman Starovoyt said that a drone had
damaged an apartment block.

Explosions were caught on camera near Kursk railway station that night,
Ukrainian outlet RBC reported.

The ambassador told the Sydney Morning Herald that the airfield is a
"legitimate target" because Russia uses it as a base to launch attacks
on Ukraine.