Latest news with #ArduPilot
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
3 days ago
- First Post
'Wanted to make flying robots, not...': Developer upset as Ukraine uses his open-source code to make deadly drones
A 20-year-old open-source code powered Ukraine's Operation Spider Web that destroyed a third of Russian bombers that were hidden miles away from Ukraine. The creators of the code expressed surprise over the matter read more As Ukraine's Operation Spider Web rocked Russia, it has been revealed that open-source software used by hobbyist drones powered the attack that wiped out a third of Russia's strategic long-range bombers. The attack that took place on Sunday afternoon was seen as one of the most daring and technically coordinated attacks in modern warfare. In broad daylight, explosions rocked air bases in Belaya, Olenya, and Ivanovo in Russia, which are hundreds of miles from Ukraine. However, the Operation , which took over a year of planning, was carried out using a nearly 20-year-old piece of open-source drone autopilot software called ArduPilot. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The original creator of ArduPilot expressed shock over the matter, recalling how the drone company just started out of a basement. 'That's ArduPilot, launched from my basement 18 years ago. Crazy,' Chris Anderson said in a comment on LinkedIn below footage of the attack. 'Just wanted to make flying robots': Anderson Anderson eventually took to X, formerly known as Twitter, and tagged his co-creators, Jordi Muñoz and Jason Short, in a post about the attack. 'Not in a million years would I have predicted this outcome. I just wanted to make flying robots,' Short said in a reply to Anderson. 'Ardupilot-powered drones just took out half the Russian strategic bomber fleet.' 18 years after @Jrdmnz @jason4short and I created ArduPilot, here it is destroying large parts of the Russian air force. Crazy — Chris Anderson (@chr1sa) June 1, 2025 ArduPilot is an open-source software system that takes its name from the Arduino hardware systems it was originally designed to work with. The work on the source code began in 2007 when Anderson launched the website and cobbled together a UAV autopilot system out of a Lego Mindstorms set. DIYdrones eventually became a home for UAV enthusiasts, and for two years, Anderson's Lego UAV took flight. According to 404 Media, Muñoz and Anderson eventually founded 3DR, an early consumer drone company, and released the earliest versions of the ArduPilot software in 2009. Despite its popularity, the software system remains free to use and can be modified for various purposes. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Wow. Ardupilot powered drones just took out half the Russian strategic bomber fleet. — Jason Short (@jason4short) June 1, 2025 '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 project's website reads. 'The source code is developed by a large community of professionals and enthusiasts. New developers are always welcome!' Interestingly, the website analytics from 2023 showed that the project was very popular in both Ukraine and Russia since the start of the war.
India Today
4 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Ukraine used 20-year-old Open Source software in its Operation Spider Web against Russia
Ukraine recently carried out a massive AI drone attack – Operation Spider Web – deep inside Russian territory. This co-ordinated drone assault destroyed over a third of Russia's strategic long-range bombers situated at air bases in Belaya, Olenya, and Ivanovo, located deep within Russian territory and far from the frontlines. According to a new report, Ukraine used a nearly 20-year-old open-source autopilot software to carry out this to a report by 404 Media, the attack was powered by ArduPilot, a free software system originally developed by hobbyists for remote-controlled aircraft. ArduPilot was launched in 2007 by Chris Anderson, the former editor-in-chief of WIRED, who built the first version using a Lego Mindstorms later teamed up with Jordi Munoz and Jason Short to refine the project, which then grew into a community-driven platform for autonomous drone flight. In a LinkedIn post following the attack, Anderson revealed that the ArduPilot software had been used. Post on X by Chris Anderson advertisement Post by Jason Short who is one of the developers of ArduPilot software Originally designed to work with Arduino hardware, ArduPilot has now been upgraded into a robust platform that can guide drones, boats, submarines, and even rovers. It allows drone pilots to set GPS-guided waypoints, automate take-off and landing, and keep the craft stable in the air. While the software was created for peaceful and recreational purposes—like search and rescue, agricultural use, or 3D mapping—the use of this software in warfare has shown its adaptability for military project's website notes that ArduPilot is maintained by a global community and emphasises ethical development, stating that its mission is to build tools 'for the peaceful benefit of all.' It also includes a pledge not to knowingly support weaponisation—but being open source, the software can be freely modified and repurposed by footage from Ukraine' operation Operation Spider Web shared online shows drones running ArduPilot during the attack. According to the report, Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) smuggled quadcopters into Russian territory hidden in trucks and storage sheds. When triggered, the roofs of these hidden compartments opened, releasing drones already loaded with reports suggest that, instead of relying on satellite systems like Starlink—often jammed or tracked—these smaller drones used basic modems and Raspberry Pi-like boards to communicate over Russian mobile networks. And during the operation, the Open-source software ArduPilot helped Ukraine force ensure stabilisation and flight control of the drones despite high President Volodymyr Zelensky has revealed that 117 drones were involved in the operation and confirmed that the attack had been in planning for over a year. 'Thirty-four percent of the strategic cruise missile carriers stationed at air bases were hit. Our personnel operated across multiple Russian regions – in three different time zones,' he said in a post on X. 'And the people who assisted us were withdrawn from Russian territory before the operation; they are now safe.'
Time of India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Ukraine's drone attack on Russia used open-source software, 'upset' developer says wanted to make flying robots: 'not in a million years...'
An open-source software , originally designed for hobbyist drones, powered a recent Ukrainian attack that allegedly destroyed a third of Russia's strategic long-range bombers, a report has said. The original creators of ArduPilot expressed surprise at the software's wartime application. According to a report by 404Media, Chris Anderson, one of ArduPilot's founders, commented on LinkedIn below attack footage, "That's ArduPilot, launched from my basement 18 years ago. Crazy." On X, Anderson tagged co-creators Jordi Muñoz and Jason Short in a post about the attack. Short replied, "Not in a million years would I have predicted this outcome. I just wanted to make flying robots." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Esse novo alarme com câmera é quase gratuito em Itaboraí (consulte o preço) Alarmes Undo "Ardupilot powered drones just took out half the Russian strategic bomber fleet," he added. What is ArduPilot and how it works ArduPilot, an open-source software system, originated in 2007. Anderson launched and assembled an early UAV autopilot using Lego Mindstorms. Two years later, Muñoz won an autonomous vehicle competition using a small helicopter with autopilot. Muñoz and Anderson subsequently founded 3DR, an early consumer drone company, and released initial versions of ArduPilot in 2009. Over the next decade, ArduPilot was refined by its creators and a global community of hobbyist and professional drone pilots. As open-source software, it is free to use and can be modified for various purposes. In this instance, it facilitated a complex series of small drone strikes. The software enables connection to a DIY drone, displays a GPS-linked map, and can control takeoff, flight, and landing. Pilots can set waypoints for autonomous flight. Even without GPS, which Russia jams using its GLONASS system, ArduPilot provides assistive features. These include drone stabilisation, a "loitering mode" for temporary halts, and failsafe modes to maintain flight if signal is lost. The ArduPilot project website describes the software as "a trusted, versatile, and open source autopilot system supporting many vehicle types." It lists peaceful use cases such as "search and rescue, submersible ROV, 3D mapping, first person view [flying], and autonomous mowers and tractors." The website does not mention its repurposing for military use. Analytics from 2023 showed the project was popular in both Ukraine and Russia. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
The Verge
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Verge
On Sunday, Ukraine's security agency
Ukraine used open source software to carry out its drone strikes. released footage of the strikes targeting Russian airfields, which show the country's use of ArduPilot, as reported earlier by 404Media. The open-source software was developed nearly 20 years ago for Arduino systems before evolving into advanced autopilot software for multicopters, traditional helicopters, and other vehicles, according to its website. 'Not in a million years would I have predicted this outcome,' Jason Short, one of the software's co-creators, said in a post on X. 'I just wanted to make flying robots.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine's Warning to the World's Other Military Forces
Relying on its own resources, Ukraine has just carried out what might be the most complex, elaborately planned, and cost-effective military operation of its current war with Russia. Yesterday, the Ukrainians used drones to attack, almost simultaneously, at least four Russian airfields separated by thousands of miles. Among them were two airfields just inside Russia, but the targets also included Olenya air base, above the Arctic Circle, and, remarkably, Belaya air base, in Siberia, which lies just over the border from Mongolia. The attack showed how much audacity, ingenuity, and effectiveness the Ukrainians can bring to their own defense when Western leaders aren't pressuring them to hold back. It also revealed the vulnerability of the large, expensive planes and other hardware treasured by major powers around the world. Images circulating immediately after the attacks appeared to show that Russian aircraft had been hit with remarkable accuracy at some of their most vulnerable points. The Ukrainians seem to have placed relatively small drone swarms in cavities built into the top of trailer trucks. Then, when the trucks were close to the targets, the trailer roofs opened up, and the swarms of drones flew out, surprising and overwhelming Russian defenses. Even how the drones themselves were operated represents something notable. In many cases, they seem to have been flying courses preprogrammed via the open-source software ArduPilot, which has proved effective in navigating unmanned aerial vehicles for hundreds of miles and precisely reaching targets. Although details remain limited, the operation testifies to how rapidly drone technology is evolving. Human operators might well have been observing some of yesterday's flights and been in a position to take control if necessary, but some of the vehicles may have operated outside of human authority, flying preprogrammed courses. Ukrainian officials have said that some of the drones were basically AI-trained to recognize the most vulnerable parts of Russian aircraft and automatically home in on those areas. [Read: Ukraine's new way of war] The Ukrainians have claimed that more than 40 advanced Russian aircraft were hit and that at least 13 were destroyed. How much of the damage is reparable is not yet clear. Kyiv boasted of destroying more than a third of Russia's large Tu-95 bombers, which have been a primary launch system for the large volleys of missiles that regularly strike Ukrainian cities. The Tu-95s are literally irreplaceable: Russia has no production facilities making more of these aircraft, and it has not yet designed a successor to the model. Yesterday's attack also appears to have damaged a large number of Tu-22 M3 bombers and probably one A-50 command aircraft, the Russian equivalent of a U.S.-made airborne warning and control aircraft. The total cost of Russian losses likely runs into several billion dollars. In contrast, the cost of one of the Ukrainian drones used in yesterday's attack has been estimated at about $1,200—so that even if the airfields were attacked with 100 drones each (a seemingly high estimate), the total cost of the drones used would have been less than $1 million. I struggle to think of a recent military operation where one side suffered so much damage at so little cost to the other. In one sense, the Ukrainian attack represents a culmination of what we have seen happen since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022: Seemingly outmatched by Russia's much larger military, Ukraine has used drones and other improvised equipment to destroy tanks, large warships, bombers, and other large legacy systems. Military planners and many outside commentators have been too slow to acknowledge the significance of Ukraine's defensive tactics, but the most recent attacks plainly show the need for major changes in how all militaries are constructed and trained. For the United States and other major Western militaries, Ukraine's use of trucks parked outside secure areas near military sites will pose uncomfortable questions. How closely do they—or can they—monitor all the truck traffic that streams past their bases? Do they know what happens in every nearby property from which an adversary could hide drone swarms and then launch them with no warning? For many years now, for instance, Chinese interests have been buying large amounts of farmland right next to important U.S. military bases. They could be growing soybeans, but they could also be staging grounds for drone swarms that would make the Ukrainian attacks look minuscule. Meanwhile, in Europe, military bases have in the past few years been regularly overflown by a large number of unknown drones, which are presumably gathering intelligence. Whichever power is responsible obviously has the ability to deploy a larger number of drones in kinetic attacks. The Ukrainians are showing U.S. and European militaries that better security against drone flights is long overdue. For Ukraine's doubters, these attacks should lead to a period of quiet reflection. President Donald Trump has insisted that Ukraine has 'no cards.' The New York Times editorial board recently implied that Ukraine is unlikely to produce a military breakthrough that can change the basic course of the war. But pessimism about Ukraine's capabilities is ahistorical and wrongheaded. [Thomas Wright: Trump's basic misunderstanding about the war in Ukraine] For three years, the Biden administration simultaneously supported Ukraine and discouraged major attacks on Russian soil, for fear of provoking Vladimir Putin too much. That constraint no longer exists, now that Trump has written off Ukraine and appears eager to end the war on Putin's terms. Until now, Ukraine has had only a limited ability to launch attacks as ambitious as the one it just executed. If Ukraine's remaining allies help arm it properly to undertake similar operations at scale, it can still win the war. Article originally published at The Atlantic
