The Japanese army integrates a kamikaze drone undetectable by radar, with a range of 150 km, costing 1,800 euros and… in cardboard

A cardboard drone costing 1,800 euros has just joined the Japanese armed forces. The start-up Air Kamuy already delivers its disposable devices to the Japanese navy, which uses them in the field.

The AirKamuy 150 cardboard drone redefines the standards of disposable weaponry

The Japanese start-up Air Kamuy has developed a machine that is as improbable as it is effective. Made from water-repellent treated corrugated cardboard, the AirKamuy 150 is shipped flat like a piece of furniture. However, this device flies at 120 kilometers per hour and covers 150 kilometers of range. It can carry up to two kilograms of sensors or explosives.

Its main advantage remains its price. So each unit costs around 1,800 euros, or 300,000 yen. This is less than 1% of the price of a traditional military drone. Plus, any soldier can assemble it in less than five minutes, without tools.

According to the UPI agency, the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force already uses the AirKamuy 150 as an aerial target for its shooting exercises. Defense Minister Shinjirō Koizumi confirmed this deployment in April 2026. Thus, Tokyo officially validates the use of this cardboard drone. This first job also aims to accumulate flight data for possible conversion into an attack drone.

This cardboard drone deceives radars and economically exhausts opposing defenses

Corrugated cardboard absorbs and disperses radar waves, significantly reducing the reflective surface of the device. Thus, this physical property provides a stealth advantage without requiring any special coating or expensive technology. On the other hand, conventional anti-aircraft defense systems struggle to detect these machines in time to react.

The real strength of this drone, however, lies in its economic effect on the adversary. Neutralizing such a device costs the enemy far more than it is worth. A standard surface-to-air missile often exceeds one million euros, compared to 1,800 euros for the AirKamuy 150. Therefore, sending thousands of these drones is enough to exhaust enemy ammunition stocks.

Japan is building an entire defense strategy around its disposable drones

The Japanese defense budget reaches 9,000 billion yen for 2026, or around 55 billion euros. In particular, nearly 1.7 billion euros targets drones and unmanned systems. In addition, the SHIELD program provides for an automated coastal network with thousands of attack drones and marine vehicles. This device aims to block access to Japanese coastal areas in the event of conflict.

Tokyo is seeking to free itself from large traditional arms groups. The Shiraha Project integrates local start-ups into the military supply chain. The start-up JISDA therefore offers a wooden drone for around 420 euros, entirely manufactured in Japan. Thus, a simple cardboard factory could theoretically become a military production site in times of crisis.

The war in Ukraine demonstrated the effectiveness of low-cost disposable drones against conventional armies. Japan thus learned these lessons before other great powers. However, this trend goes beyond Japanese borders. Russia, Iran and several emerging countries are now banking on swarms of cheap drones. Their common goal is to bypass costly defenses. The Japanese cardboard drone embodies this mutation of a war where numbers prevail over sophistication.