Japan’s Air Kamuy 150: The Game-Changing Cardboard Drone Revolutionizing Military Operations

[Digital Today AI Reporter] Japan has started fielding the low-cost, cardboard-built drone Air Kamui 150. 

On May 8 (local time), IT outlet TechRadar reported that the aircraft developed by Air Kamui underscores a broader shift toward low-cost, autonomous combat operations.

The Air Kamui 150 is a lightweight, fixed-wing unmanned aircraft made primarily from waterproof-coated corrugated cardboard. Each unit costs roughly $2,000–$2,500 (approximately 2.67–3.33 million KRW). With electric propulsion, it can cover about 50 miles or remain airborne for roughly 80 minutes. The drone can carry up to 3 pounds of payload for reconnaissance sensors or small munitions on one-way attack missions.

The airframe ships flat; roughly 500 units can fit in a single standard shipping container. Assembly takes about 5–10 minutes and can be performed by minimally trained personnel. The cardboard structure also produces a lower radar cross-section than many conventional airframe materials, a potential tactical advantage.

Takumi Yamaguchi, CEO of Air Kamui, said there is strong demand for low-cost drones that can be operated in large numbers over long distances. He added that the airframes can be produced at any corrugated-cardboard plant, which supports rapid mass production and supply-chain resilience.

But its combat performance remains unproven. It has not been demonstrated how effective the Air Kamui 150 would be against a $2 billion air-defense system (approximately 2.67 trillion KRW), and collecting actionable combat data from expendable drones remains a major challenge.