
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.

«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.
18 years after @Jrdmnz @jason4short and I created ArduPilot, here it is destroying large parts of the Russian air force. Crazy https://t.co/2SfPQHrcuA
— Chris Anderson (@chr1sa) June 1, 2025
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.
Wow. Ardupilot powered drones just took out half the Russian strategic bomber fleet. https://t.co/5juA1UXrv4
— Jason Short (@jason4short) June 1, 2025
«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
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