Russian Advanced Fighter Jet Defeated by Ukraine's 'Neolpanji Drone'

Special Drone Provided by Australian Defense Contractor
Priced Around 4 Million Won... Boasts Overwhelming Cost-Effectiveness
Advanced Fighter Jets Worth Over 50 Billion Won Each Attacked

Ukraine has attracted attention by claiming to have damaged Russia's advanced fighter jets using paper drones made from wooden planks. These drones are known to have been produced by an Australian defense company.

According to foreign media reports such as 'Insider' on the 29th (local time), the Ukrainian Security Service recently announced through the local media 'Kyiv Post' that it attacked four aircraft, including MiG-29 and Sukhoi (Su)-30 fighters stationed at the Kursk airfield in western Russia. The Security Service added that not only the fighter jets but also two air defense missile launchers and systems were partially damaged.

Similar claims have also emerged from Russia. A pro-Russian blogger named 'Fighterbomber,' active on the Russian social networking service (SNS) 'Telegram,' stated that this drone attack was the first to be carried out using 'paper drones.'

Flatboard drone manufactured by Australian defense company SYPAQ
[Image source=SYPAQ]

The blogger said, "The drone's engine is still unidentified," but added, "If it were electrically powered, it would not have originated from Ukrainian territory."

The drone in question is known to be the Corvo drone developed by the Australian defense company 'SYPAQ' in March. It is one of the support items delivered by the Australian government to Ukraine. At that time, SYPAQ signed a contract worth 700,000 dollars (approximately 925.8 million KRW) with the Australian government to produce the drone.

The distinctive feature of the Corvo drone is that it is made from wooden planks, the material used for cardboard boxes. However, a special wax was applied to the surface of the cardboard for waterproofing. The drone, assembled from cardboard, is light enough to be launched by being tied with rubber bands, but its performance is by no means negligible.

Its maximum flight range is 120 km, and its payload capacity is up to 5 kg. Depending on various conditions such as weather and payload weight, it can fly for about 1 to 3 hours, and one drone is reported to be capable of flying a total of 60 times. It is ideal for carrying a small amount of explosives and damaging distant targets.

Above all, the greatest strength of the Corvo drone is its price. The production cost of one drone is around 670 to 3,350 dollars (approximately 880,000 to 4,420,000 KRW). In contrast, the unit price of the Su-30 fighter jet damaged by this drone is about 40 million dollars (approximately 53 billion KRW).