Sypaq Corvo Precision Payload Delivery System

SYPAQ Systems Pty Ltd is an Australian company founded in 1992.[1] It manufactures a range of autonomous drones under the Corvo brand. The PPDS comprises a low-cost but military-grade system, capable of re-use but cheap enough to be treated as expendable when required.[2]

The PPDS was initially developed in partnership with the Australian Army, under a contract worth $1.1 million. Army assembly trials took place in 2019.[3][4]

The PPDS is being supplied to Ukraine in quantity, in support of its war with Russia, under a funding initiative from the Australian government announced in July 2022.[3][4] Operational use has led to its adaptation for additional roles, including intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and even lethal attacks.[5][6]

The PPDS airframe has a tailless but otherwise conventional layout. It is constructed from precision-cut waxed cardboard; the wax provides a good level of waterproofing and the PPDS can operate in wet weather.[3] The individual parts are designed for ease of assembly by the user, being taped and glued together with the wings attached via heavy-duty rubber bands, as commonly done on model aircraft.[7][5]

The square-section fuselage houses a tractor propeller in the nose and a single vertical fin at the tail. An internal payload bay allows for payloads of up to 3 kilograms (6.6 lb) or 5 kilograms (11 lb), depending on the model.[8]

The propeller is electric powered, with the onboard lithium-ion battery allowing enough endurance to fly up to 120 kilometres (75 mi) in total.

The onboard and ground command systems are based around commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware and free open-source software (FOSS). Despite this, they are military grade.

These power and avionics systems are modular, and intended for re-use.[8]

The ground command system comprises a ruggedised Android tablet which physically connects to the drone for entering of the flightpath.[9][5] The drone then flies autonomously with no need for any datalink. It is capable of flying via dead reckoning based on its speed and heading, but will use GPS signals where available to improve accuracy.[3][4]

The small size, cardboard construction and lack of communications link give the PPDS good stealth properties, making detection and interception extremely difficult. Its ability to navigate independently from GPS enables it to operate in a hostile electromagnetic environment with radio jamming.[3] The flightpath details are encrypted, so that in the event of enemy capture, the location of the command controller cannot be identified.[9]

The entire unit, including tablet, is supplied in flatpack form, and in volume quantities may be palletised for delivery. Assembly is simple, using only the basic tools supplied in the flatpack, such as sticky tape and rubber bands.[10]

The PPDS is launched from a catapult comprising a lightweight frame, integrated launch rails and spring-loaded spool.[5] The catapult is supplied separately.

• SYPAQ parent company website
• Corvo drone subsidiary website