Japan is deploying ultra-cheap cardboard drones built for swarm warfare and expendable combat missions
Autonomous mobile drone swarm killer created in trilateral US defense company collab
The autonomous nature of the Project NYX drones means that Apache crews don’t face any further burdens on their skills. The drones can serve various purposes, says the MoD. Specifically, roles such as “reconnaissance, precision strike, target acquisition, and electronic warfare in contested environments” are mentioned.
At this stage, the government department says that the drones will not use or trigger weapons directly. Such decisions “will continue to be made by a human,” it asserts. We’d guess that under the pressure of a serious conflict, such safeguards could slip, though.
The MoD already has some idea of the range of solutions that are being worked upon by the shortlisted quartet of military tech makers. Images shared include a sampling of diverse UAS designs. Each design offers its own “innovative autonomy, payloads, and sensors,” says the press release.
After the winning prototype(s) are selected in fall 2026, the MoD aims to have operational Apache drone ‘wingmen’ ready for use in 2030.
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Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/apache-helicopter-loyal-wingmen-support-drones-to-be-used-for-precision-strikes-other-duties-british-armys-project-nyx-funding-money-goes-to-four-firms-as-effort-hits-new-milestone#main
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