News Military Tech 06-04-2025 at 12:30 comment views icon

The drones that destroyed the Russian planes were controlled by ArduPilot software created 18 years ago «in the basement»

author avatar

Andrii Rusanov

News writer

The drones that destroyed the Russian planes were controlled by ArduPilot software created 18 years ago «in the basement»

On Sunday, the Internet was full of videos of Ukrainian drones hitting Russian strategic aviation. Everyone saw the ArduPilot inscription, and the authors of this software are delighted with the events.

Usage of ArduPilot has become almost a benchmark example of how the efforts of enthusiasts change the world. Open-source software for amateur drones has been controlling an attack that destroyed Russian strategic long-range bombers.

Дрони, що знищили російські літаки, керувалися ПЗ ArduPilot, створеним 18 років тому «у підвалі»
Illustration from the discussion of the role of ArduPilot in the attack / X

«This is ArduPilot, launched from my basement 18 years ago. Insanity»,” wrote one of the program’s creators, Chris Anderson, in a comment on LinkedIn under the attack video.

In his post in X, he identified the co-authors of the software as Jordi Munoz and Jason Short. The latter also shared his feelings.

«I would never have predicted such a result in my life. I just wanted to create flying robots. …ArduPilot-based drones just destroyed half of the Russian strategic bomber fleet,» Short wrote back to Anderson.

The open source program got its name from the miniature computers on the Arduino boardfor which it was originally designed. Its story began in 2007 when Anderson launched the website DIYdrones.com and assembled an autopiloted UAV from a Lego Mindstorms set.

Two years after Anderson’s drone flight, drone pilot Jordi Munoz won an autonomous drone competition with a small helicopter on autopilot. Munoz and Anderson founded 3DR, one of the first consumer drone companies, and released the first versions of the ArduPilot in 2009.

ArduPilot evolved over the next decade, receiving improvements from Munoz, Anderson, Short, and a host of other drone enthusiasts. The open source program is free and can be modified by anyone for a variety of purposes. The software can be paired with a home-made drone, displays a map of the area with access to GPS, allows you to create waypoints, and issues commands to the UAV.

According to open-source researchers, Ukrainian drones were controlled by operators via Russian mobile networks using a modem connected to Raspberry Pi boards. ArduPilot’s standalone modes helped operators compensate for delays and loss of communication during the attack.

Source: 404 Media



Spelling error report

The following text will be sent to our editors: