[News in War History] Ukraine's 'Golpanji Drone' That Captures Russian Fighter Jets... The Paper Airplane That Became Fearsome

Ukraine's 'Golpanji Drone' Disables Russian Air Defense
History of Paper Airplanes Originating from 'Yeonnalligi'
Lower Production Costs of Suicide Drones...Global Spread Concerns

Recently, the Ukrainian military has drawn global attention by repeatedly bombing Russian airbases using drones made of cardboard, causing significant damage to fighter jets and air defense facilities. The power of these paper airplanes has been newly highlighted as cardboard drones, costing about 4 million Korean won, destroyed Russian fighter jets worth hundreds of billions of won.

In particular, cardboard drones are small in size, undetectable by radar, and can be mass-produced at a much lower cost compared to traditional ballistic missiles, making them expected to be used in various battlefields in the future. These drones, equipped with small explosives and used as suicide drones, are known to be highly efficient in destroying sensitive enemy electronic facilities, prompting many countries to expedite their adoption.

Although these paper airplanes are considered a modern invention, their history is quite long. Across both Eastern and Western cultures, the origin of paper airplanes is traced back to 'kite flying,' which naturally emerged as Chinese papermaking technology spread worldwide. In this article, we will explore the history of paper airplanes that are shaking modern battlefields and discuss how commercialized paper drones will change the dynamics of future warfare.

◆News: Ukrainian 'Cardboard Drone' That Took Down Russian Sukhoi Fighter Jets

[Image source= SYPAQ homepage]

Let's start with the news. According to CNN on the 8th (local time), on the 26th of last month, the Ukrainian military launched an airstrike on the Kursk airfield in western Russia using cardboard drones, attacking five aircraft including one Mig fighter jet and four Sukhoi fighter jets, and damaging two Pantsir air defense system missiles and part of the S-300 air defense system.

The Ukrainian ambassador to Australia also drew attention by posting on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that "the cardboard drones used in the attack on the Russian airfield were Australian-made." In March, Australian defense company SYPAQ announced a contract worth 700,000 dollars (about 925 million Korean won) with the Australian government to produce 'Corvo,' a delivery system drone for Ukraine, which brought further focus to these cardboard drones.

These cardboard drones are flat-packed and can fly up to 120 km. Originally, they were developed for reconnaissance and transport, not for attack. It is speculated that the Ukrainian military equipped these drones with small explosives to use them as suicide drones. The Russian military has not yet commented on the specific damage caused.

What attracted worldwide attention to this cardboard drone attack was its astonishing cost-effectiveness. These wax-treated cardboard drones reportedly cost only about 3,500 dollars (approximately 4.6 million Korean won) each. Considering that the Russian Su-27 fighter jet, a mainstay of their air force, costs about 30 million dollars (around 40 billion Korean won) per unit, intercepting fighter jets with cardboard drones demonstrates incredible cost efficiency.

Moreover, cardboard drones are small, made of non-metallic materials, making them difficult to detect by radar and hard to intercept, which allowed them to easily penetrate Russian air defenses.

◆History 1: Paper Airplanes Originated in China, Where Papermaking Was Invented, and Spread Worldwide

A reenactment of the Bigeo (飛車), believed to have been made during the Imjin War. [Image source=Air Force Museum]

Paper airplanes, which have regained attention due to these cardboard drones, actually have a surprisingly long history. Although the exact year of their creation is unknown, they are believed to have originated in China, the first country to produce paper.

It is commonly known that Cai Lun, a eunuch of the Eastern Han Dynasty, created 'Caihou Paper' in 105 AD, which is considered the origin of paper. However, this refers to the earliest paper suitable for writing documents. Early forms of paper used for packaging or making tools are said to have been developed as early as the 5th century BC. The kite (鳶·Kite), regarded as the ancestor of paper airplanes, appeared around the late Warring States period in the 3rd century BC and was mainly used to send attack signals during night operations.

The earliest record of kites in Korean history appears in 647 AD during the reign of Queen Seondeok of Silla, when the rebellion led by Bidam occurred. When a meteor fell from the sky, Bidam spread rumors that the queen's power was waning, greatly lowering the morale of the queen's forces. Then General Kim Yushin cleverly hung a scarecrow on a giant kite, set it on fire, and spread rumors that the queen's star had risen again, boosting the army's morale.

During the Imjin War, it is also speculated that giant kite-shaped flying machines large enough for people to ride were used. Records mention a glider-type kite called 'Bigeo (飛車),' which served as an escape vehicle and communication tool during the war.

According to the late Joseon Dynasty scholar Shin Gyeongjun's book 'Yeoeam Jeonseo,' a man named Jeong Pyeong-gu from Gimje, Jeollabuk-do, invented this Bigeo. It is said that during the Siege of Jinju Fortress, some people escaped by riding this Bigeo into the besieged fortress. Unfortunately, only records remain today, with no surviving blueprints or artifacts.

◆History 2: 'Paper Plane' Became Essential for Fighter Jet Modeling

The appearance of a paper airplane folding manual from 1870s England.

Moving away from the kite form, the pointed paper airplanes we commonly know today appeared after the 19th century. This was made possible by the exponential increase in paper production following the Industrial Revolution, which greatly increased civilian access to paper. From the 1860s, folding manuals for paper airplanes began to appear, and in the West, they were called 'Paper Darts.'

After the Wright brothers developed the airplane in 1903, paper airplanes became important experimental tools for studying the aerodynamics of actual aircraft. Various forms of paper airplanes emerged, significantly influencing ideas and designs in real aircraft manufacturing. The Wright brothers are known to have conducted experiments by flying paper model airplanes in a small wind tunnel they created.

Following World War II, as various aircraft centered on fighter jets appeared, paper airplanes played an important role in aircraft development. For example, Jack Northrop, founder of today's American aerospace and defense company Northrop Grumman, made a flying wing paper airplane in 1930. His dream of realizing a flying wing was fulfilled 59 years later in 1989 with the birth of the B-2 bomber.

Today, numerous paper airplane flying competitions are held. The international competition 'Red Bull Paper Wings,' which started in 2006, is divided into categories such as Longest Distance, Longest Airtime, and Aerobatics. Last year, over 60,000 participants from more than 80 countries competed, and a Korean player won the gold medal in the Aerobatics category, drawing attention.

The record for the longest paper airplane flight is held by Takuo Toda from Japan, who is the president of Castem, Japan's top mold company, and chairman of the Japan Paper Airplane Association. In 2009, at a paper airplane competition held in Fukuyama City, he flew a paper airplane for 27.9 seconds, setting a Guinness World Record.

◆Implication: Dramatically Reduced Missile Costs Raise Concerns Over More Brutal Wars

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Paper airplanes, which have evolved through this long history, have now led to the development of cardboard drones. While this is a welcome advancement in aviation technology, concerns are rising that the brutality of war may intensify, making it difficult to celebrate unreservedly.

If paper drones, which are undetectable by radar and cost far less than ballistic missiles priced at over 1 billion Korean won each, become commercialized worldwide, the nature of warfare is expected to change drastically. The suicide drone attacks that began in 2019, when Yemen's Houthi rebels bombed Saudi Arabia's largest oil facility, Abqaiq, with small Iranian-made suicide drones, will become even easier.

If these small drones are mass-produced and deployed simultaneously in specific areas for widespread airstrikes, civilian casualties and human losses could become uncontrollably large. Since they do not require special technical skills to manufacture and are inexpensive, they could be easily used not only in Eastern Europe but also in various conflict zones in the Middle East and Africa. We hope that the pure paper airplanes, which once inspired children's dreams of flying, will never be turned into weapons that trample on innocence.