Login
iscover
Australian-designed explosive “cardboard drones” have reportedly been used by Ukrainian forces in significant strikes this week.
To continue reading the rest of this article, please log in.
Create free account to get unlimited news articles and more!
Explosive-laden drones have allegedly been used to damage military transport and fighter aircraft at airfields in Kursk and a Pskov airbase in Northern Russia on 27 August.
Melbourne’s SYPAQ Systems produces the fixed-wing Corvo Precision Payload Delivery System which can be launched by hand or catapult and lands by itself.
The low-cost system is reportedly able to be constructed from a flat-pack box, can travel at 59km/h and travel up to 120 kilometres.
The Russian Ministry of Defence regarded the incident as a “terrorist attempt” in a statement published to social media platform Telegram.
“August 27, at night and in the morning, the Kyiv regime made another attempt at terrorist attacks on the territory of the Russian Federation using aircraft-type UAVs,” the statement alleged.
“Air defence systems on duty detected and destroyed two unmanned aerial vehicles in flight over the territory of the Bryansk and Kursk regions.”
Ambassador of Ukraine to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko confirmed on 29 August that cardboard drones had been used against a “legitimate target” Russian airfield.
“Russia uses that airport to launch military operations and send missiles into Ukraine,” he said.
SYPAQ chief executive officer Amanda Holt, speaking earlier this year in March, confirmed the company is providing PPDS drones to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
“It is an honour to be supporting the Ukrainian Armed Forces,” she said.
“PPDS is an Australian capability that will help the Ukrainian people defend their country and is proof of the world-leading autonomous systems capabilities in Australian industry.
“This capability is the result of an innovation journey with Army and the Defence Innovation Hub and demonstrates the importance of collaboration between Defence and industry on capability development.”
