Australian SYPAQ cardboard drones could hit five Su-30 and MiG-29 fighter jets on Russian territory, bypassing air defences

We wrote that several pieces of military equipment were hit on the territory of an airfield in the Kursk region. Perhaps the strike was carried out by Australian drones made of cardboard.

Here's What We Know

The RBC-Ukraine publication, citing its own sources in the Security Service of Ukraine, reported that four Su-30 fighters and one MiG-29 were hit. Also hit were two Pantsir-S1 air defence systems and radars from the S-300 surface-to-air missile system.

The source says 16 drones were used, of which 13 hit the target. At the same time, the well-known Russian Telegram channel Fighterbomber writes that the Ukrainian Defence Forces used Australian SYPAQ drones.

According to him, the drones were struck in two configurations: with and without explosives. Moreover, they were not launched from the territory of Ukraine. The drones are made of cardboard, and this may be the reason why they managed to bypass the air defence system.

The Ukrainian Defence Forces received the Australian drones in early 2023. SYPAQ has a maximum payload capacity of 5kg and can stay in the air for 1-3 hours depending on the weight of the payload. It has a maximum range of 120 kilometres.

We are not yet able to confirm information on the use of SYPAQ.

Source: Fighterbomber