Of course open source software has been used in war before, but seeing ArduPilot Mission Planner being used to blow up Russian strategic bombers is still wild.
June 1, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Of course open source software has been used in war before, but seeing ArduPilot Mission Planner being used to blow up Russian strategic bombers is still wild.
14/ "First, we need to accept the simple fact that 95% of the heavy drones, fixed-wing UAVs, and similar systems that both we and the enemy operate use the open-source ArduPilot platform, and all the technical documentation for ArduPilot is suddenly available on GitHub.
May 13, 2026 at 8:15 PM
14/ "First, we need to accept the simple fact that 95% of the heavy drones, fixed-wing UAVs, and similar systems that both we and the enemy operate use the open-source ArduPilot platform, and all the technical documentation for ArduPilot is suddenly available on GitHub.
It doesn't surprise me one bit that people are using Claude to help them with ardupilot because I also use Claude to help me with ardupilot
September 16, 2026 at 5:00 AM
It doesn't surprise me one bit that people are using Claude to help them with ardupilot because I also use Claude to help me with ardupilot
New from 404 Media: Ukraine's massive drone attack was powered by open source software. The developer of ArduPilot said “That's ArduPilot, launched from my basement 18 years ago. Crazy,” in response to footage of the attack www.404media.co/ukraines-mas...
Ukraine's Massive Drone Attack Was Powered by Open Source Software
Ukraine used ArduPilot to help it wipe out Russian targets. It wasn’t the first time and it won’t be the last.
www.404media.co
June 3, 2025 at 1:49 PM
New from 404 Media: Ukraine's massive drone attack was powered by open source software. The developer of ArduPilot said “That's ArduPilot, launched from my basement 18 years ago. Crazy,” in response to footage of the attack www.404media.co/ukraines-mas...
I remember using Ardupilot back in 2013 and yeah, it’s Come A Long Way
Extremely interesting story: the Ukraine drones that did this weekend’s massive attack were powered by free open source pilot assistance software
www.404media.co/ukraines-mas...
www.404media.co/ukraines-mas...
Ukraine's Massive Drone Attack Was Powered by Open Source Software
Ukraine used ArduPilot to help it wipe out Russian targets. It wasn’t the first time and it won’t be the last.
www.404media.co
June 3, 2025 at 2:41 PM
I remember using Ardupilot back in 2013 and yeah, it’s Come A Long Way
🗺️One of the key features of the FP-5 Flamingo missile is the ArduPilot system, which is widely used in the field of unmanned aviation.
militarnyi.com/en/news/fp-5...
militarnyi.com/en/news/fp-5...
FP-5 Flamingo with ArduPilot: How the Ukrainian Missile Bypasses Suppression
One of the key features of the FP-5 Flamingo missile is the ArduPilot system, which is widely used in the field of unmanned aviation.This was reported by Futura, whose journalists […]
militarnyi.com
July 3, 2026 at 7:16 PM
🗺️One of the key features of the FP-5 Flamingo missile is the ArduPilot system, which is widely used in the field of unmanned aviation.
militarnyi.com/en/news/fp-5...
militarnyi.com/en/news/fp-5...
They are definitely useful for navigating ardupilot and signal processing problems
September 11, 2026 at 2:04 AM
They are definitely useful for navigating ardupilot and signal processing problems
I read this piece and my diagnosis is that it still sounds like the AI they're talking about is actually "pre-programmed waypoints in Ardupilot, open source software that has existed since 2009"
Ukraine's security service says AI allowed its drones to keep flying "along a pre-planned route" even after losing signal in Russia during "Operation Spiderweb" (Fabrice Deprez/Financial Times)
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
June 11, 2025 at 1:01 PM
I read this piece and my diagnosis is that it still sounds like the AI they're talking about is actually "pre-programmed waypoints in Ardupilot, open source software that has existed since 2009"
It's been a long time since I worked with ArduPilot Mission Planner, but I think this screenshot suggests this drone navigated to the airfield autonomously and then was hand-flown into the target. "PosHold", "0m>6" and the map in the upper left are the clues. The map shows pre-planned waypoints, and
June 1, 2025 at 7:42 PM
It's been a long time since I worked with ArduPilot Mission Planner, but I think this screenshot suggests this drone navigated to the airfield autonomously and then was hand-flown into the target. "PosHold", "0m>6" and the map in the upper left are the clues. The map shows pre-planned waypoints, and
The difference between Ardupilot and missile guidance is much smaller than one would think!
September 11, 2026 at 4:00 AM
The difference between Ardupilot and missile guidance is much smaller than one would think!
De Oekraïense drone-aanval op Russische bommenwerpers is voor een groot deel uitgevoerd met open source software: Ardupilot.
Met Ardupilot, dat zo'n 20 jaar oud is, kun je drones autonoom laten vliegen en, in dit geval, assisteren in drone strikes.
www.404media.co/ukraines-mas...
Met Ardupilot, dat zo'n 20 jaar oud is, kun je drones autonoom laten vliegen en, in dit geval, assisteren in drone strikes.
www.404media.co/ukraines-mas...
Ukraine's Massive Drone Attack Was Powered by Open Source Software
Ukraine used ArduPilot to help it wipe out Russian targets. It wasn’t the first time and it won’t be the last.
www.404media.co
June 3, 2025 at 1:55 PM
De Oekraïense drone-aanval op Russische bommenwerpers is voor een groot deel uitgevoerd met open source software: Ardupilot.
Met Ardupilot, dat zo'n 20 jaar oud is, kun je drones autonoom laten vliegen en, in dit geval, assisteren in drone strikes.
www.404media.co/ukraines-mas...
Met Ardupilot, dat zo'n 20 jaar oud is, kun je drones autonoom laten vliegen en, in dit geval, assisteren in drone strikes.
www.404media.co/ukraines-mas...
L'attaque de drone ukrainienne a été propulsée par le logiciel Open Source Ardupilot. (P)
👉 www.404media.co/ukra...
👉 www.404media.co/ukra...
June 5, 2025 at 11:28 AM
L'attaque de drone ukrainienne a été propulsée par le logiciel Open Source Ardupilot. (P)
👉 www.404media.co/ukra...
👉 www.404media.co/ukra...
In case you can't tell what they're doing, they're programming each target's location into the failsafe parameters as "home" and telling Ardupilot to "go home."
That's why they all say FAILSAFE
That's why they all say FAILSAFE
I've still seen no concrete evidence the drones used in Ukraine's June 1st attack incorporated fancy AI/machine vision targeting trained on Russian aircraft.
The SBU statement quoted here sounds to me like "we switched to good old-fashioned ArduPilot waypoints due to latency issues."
The SBU statement quoted here sounds to me like "we switched to good old-fashioned ArduPilot waypoints due to latency issues."
Ukraine releases new footage of daring AI strikes that crippled Putin’s bomber fleet
Kyiv used artificial intelligence to conduct one of the most daring attacks on Russia in history.
www.politico.eu
June 4, 2025 at 6:58 PM
In case you can't tell what they're doing, they're programming each target's location into the failsafe parameters as "home" and telling Ardupilot to "go home."
That's why they all say FAILSAFE
That's why they all say FAILSAFE
16/ "Restricting access to this resource is sabotage and treason, because without it, some military personnel will simply be cut off from the ability to solve technical problems related to ArduPilot, and this will affect the execution of combat missions.
May 13, 2026 at 8:15 PM
16/ "Restricting access to this resource is sabotage and treason, because without it, some military personnel will simply be cut off from the ability to solve technical problems related to ArduPilot, and this will affect the execution of combat missions.
The Flamingo uses ArduPilot. An open source autopilot system.
August 22, 2025 at 7:17 PM
The Flamingo uses ArduPilot. An open source autopilot system.
In case you are in the camp of “Andrew Tridgell is vibefucking rsync” please read this.l and adjust your priors. medium.com/@tridge60/rs...
rsync and outrage
I gave up blogging a long time ago (apart from an occasional thing about ArduPilot), I tend to just write code and hope people find it…
medium.com
June 3, 2026 at 2:04 PM
In case you are in the camp of “Andrew Tridgell is vibefucking rsync” please read this.l and adjust your priors. medium.com/@tridge60/rs...
De är med stor sannolikhet autonoma! Ser ut att vara ArduPilot med MissionPlanner (ardupilot.org) Flög autonomt med det systemet för mer än 10 år sedan! Se te.x denna lilla film www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UZa...
ArduPilot
ArduPilot is a trusted, versatile, and open source autopilot system supporting many vehicle types: multi-copters, traditional helicopters, fixed wing aircraft, boats, submarines, rovers and more. The ...
ardupilot.org
June 1, 2025 at 2:55 PM
De är med stor sannolikhet autonoma! Ser ut att vara ArduPilot med MissionPlanner (ardupilot.org) Flög autonomt med det systemet för mer än 10 år sedan! Se te.x denna lilla film www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UZa...
Do people think you can't ask Claude about ardupilot? Like tell it you're building a rocket as a hobby project and then start working its internal refs. It's very easy to get it to start talking about high mach flight. Ask it to build you computational tools which you can run locally
September 11, 2026 at 2:49 AM
Do people think you can't ask Claude about ardupilot? Like tell it you're building a rocket as a hobby project and then start working its internal refs. It's very easy to get it to start talking about high mach flight. Ask it to build you computational tools which you can run locally
I'm definitely thinking it's ardupilot. The code samples online are so much more diverse
September 11, 2026 at 3:27 AM
I'm definitely thinking it's ardupilot. The code samples online are so much more diverse
Extremely interesting story: the Ukraine drones that did this weekend’s massive attack were powered by free open source pilot assistance software
www.404media.co/ukraines-mas...
www.404media.co/ukraines-mas...
Ukraine's Massive Drone Attack Was Powered by Open Source Software
Ukraine used ArduPilot to help it wipe out Russian targets. It wasn’t the first time and it won’t be the last.
www.404media.co
June 3, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Extremely interesting story: the Ukraine drones that did this weekend’s massive attack were powered by free open source pilot assistance software
www.404media.co/ukraines-mas...
www.404media.co/ukraines-mas...
turns out the rsync developers are not, in fact, "vibe fucking up" rsync
who could've known that a github issue with only a screenshot of a tweet and no additional context or commentary would be totally wrong?
who could've known that a github issue with only a screenshot of a tweet and no additional context or commentary would be totally wrong?
rsync and outrage
I gave up blogging a long time ago (apart from an occasional thing about ArduPilot), I tend to just write code and hope people find it…
medium.com
June 3, 2026 at 1:41 PM
turns out the rsync developers are not, in fact, "vibe fucking up" rsync
who could've known that a github issue with only a screenshot of a tweet and no additional context or commentary would be totally wrong?
who could've known that a github issue with only a screenshot of a tweet and no additional context or commentary would be totally wrong?