re: Your Tax Dollars at Work: Ukrainian Drone

World War 2 US fighter planes, notably the P-47, used drop tanks made of paper and I think wax. These tanks carried fuel and were jettisoned when empty or when under attack over enemy territory.

They were designed so that they contained no useful material that could be recovered by the enemy.

These are one way drones. It's reasonable to build them out of cheap and disposable material. Also, a wartime drone might be designed to a different standard than a peacetime drone.