As you’ve undoubtedly read by now, a sophisticated Ukrainian operation (Operation Spider’s Web) launched drones from prepositioned storage crates outside four Russian air bases and blew up about a third of Russia’s strategic long-range bomber fleet.  Destroyed planes include some Tu-22, Tu-95, and A-50 aircraft that date from the time of the USSR, which. Russia will have a hard time replacing.

What’s been less noted was the software that powered these systems: ArduPilot, an open source project.

ArduPilot, initiated in 2007 by Chris Anderson and Jordi Muñoz, began as a project aimed at democratizing drone technology for enthusiasts and researchers. Over the years, it has evolved into a robust platform supporting various unmanned vehicles, including multicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, and even submarines (no, not that kind).

In the context of Operation Spide’sr Web, Ukraine leveraged ArduPilot’s capabilities to navigate drones deep into Russian territory, targeting airbases housing strategic bombers. The software’s flexibility enabled the programming of precise flight paths and autonomous operations, even in GPS-denied environments—a common challenge in electronic warfare scenarios.

Chris Anderson, reflecting on the software’s role in the conflict, expressed astonishment: “That’s ArduPilot, launched from my basement 18 years ago. Crazy.” Co-creator Jason Short added, “Not in a million years would I have predicted this outcome. I just wanted to make flying robots.”

And indeed he did.  He also created a dual-use technology (one that has both peaceful and military uses).  This in itself is nothing new – everything from gunpowder to cameras to cryptography is dual use, and drones themselves are obviously dual use.  But no doubt this will spark some debates.

raindog308

Raindog308 is a longtime LowEndTalk community administrator, technical writer, and self-described techno polymath. With deep roots in the *nix world, he has a passion for systems both modern and vintage, ranging from Unix, Perl, Python, and Golang to shell scripting and mainframe-era operating systems like MVS. He’s equally comfortable with relational database systems, having spent years working with Oracle, PostgreSQL, and MySQL.

As an avid user of LowEndBox providers, Raindog runs an empire of LEBs, from tiny boxes for VPNs, to mid-sized instances for application hosting, and heavyweight servers for data storage and complex databases. He brings both technical rigor and real-world experience to every piece he writes.

Beyond the command line, Raindog is a lover of German Shepherds, high-quality knives, target shooting, theology, tabletop RPGs, and hiking in deep, quiet forests.

His goal with every article is to help users, from beginners to seasoned sysadmins, get more value, performance, and enjoyment out of their infrastructure.

You can find him daily in the forums at LowEndTalk under the handle @raindog308.