Spider’s Web: How Open-Source Drones Took Down Billion-Dollar Bombers
New details are emerging about the historic Operation Spider’s Web, during which Ukrainian FPV drones struck 41 Russian aircraft in a single coordinated attack. According to a report by 404 Media, the drones used ArduPilot, an open-source software platform for autonomous flight control. This remarkable strike underscores the asymmetric nature of this war: affordable, open-source-powered drones taking down billion-dollar assets that are difficult for Russia to replace.
Let’s break down what happened and why ArduPilot was key.
Known Details of Spider’s Web
On June 1, 2025, Operation Spider’s Web resulted in the destruction of 41 Russian aircraft worth over $7 billion. The targets included high-value strategic bombers like the A-50, Tu-95, Tu-22, Tu-160, as well as transport and refueling aircraft such as the An-12 and Il-78. According to Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), this accounted for 34% of Russia’s strategic cruise missile carriers at its main airfields.
The drones struck four military airfields simultaneously — Belaya, Dyagilevo, Olenya, and Ivanovo — spanning three time zones. It was a complex logistical feat. First, the SBU transported FPV drones into Russian territory, hidden inside mobile wooden houses mounted on trucks. Once in place, the drones were concealed beneath the roofs of these houses. At the designated time, the roofs were remotely opened, launching the drones toward their targets.
UAVs were controlled using a system that combined autonomous AI algorithms with manual input from operators. When signal loss occurred, some drones continued their mission on pre-set routes. The warhead was automatically activated upon reaching and identifying a specific target.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi revealed that preparations for the attack spanned a year and a half and added a striking detail: «The operation office in Russia was located opposite the Russian Federation’s intelligence headquarters.»
«The operation involved 117 drones and the same number of operators. Thirty-four percent of strategic cruise missile carriers were destroyed. Our people operated in different regions of the Russian Federation, across three time zones. Those who helped us were extracted from Russia before the strike and are now safe,» Zelenskyi wrote
What is ArduPilot?
ArduPilot is an open-source autopilot system originally developed for the Arduino hardware platform. It was created nearly two decades ago by former WIRED editor-in-chief Chris Anderson, Jordi Munoz, and Jason Short.
It all began in 2007, when Anderson launched DIYdrones.com and built an early autopilot using a Lego Mindstorms kit. The site quickly became a hub for UAV hobbyists. Just two years later, Muñoz won an autonomous vehicle competition with a helicopter running ArduPilot.
Anderson and Muñoz co-founded 3DR, and the first versions of ArduPilot were released in 2009. Over the next decade, development expanded thanks to a global community of amateurs and professionals. Like many open-source projects, ArduPilot is free to use and modify — a key reason why it ended up powering one of the most complex drone strikes in modern warfare.
Reaction from the Founders
ArduPilot supports a wide range of vehicles: multicopters, helicopters, airplanes, boats, underwater vehicles, and rovers. Its official mission emphasizes peaceful applications — search and rescue, 3D mapping, agriculture, and more. Warfare isn’t mentioned.
But that’s the nature of open source: anyone can adapt the code for any purpose. And that’s exactly what Ukrainian forces did.
Founder Chris Anderson acknowledged the unexpected military use of his software in a post on X (formerly Twitter), expressing a mix of surprise and admiration.
Jason Short also made a post:
How It Works
ArduPilot allows a drone to display GPS maps, follow pre-programmed routes, and maintain stable flight — even when GPS is jammed, as often happens with Russia’s GLONASS system. Its key features include flight stabilization, hover modes, and emergency fallback protocols for signal loss.
Russian forces have previously captured «Baba Yaga» drones — large, fearsome hexacopters — and, in February, found a Starlink terminal and remnants of ArduPilot software inside one such drone. But the UAVs used in Operation Spider’s Web were smaller and didn’t use Starlink.
According to Russian Telegram channels, the drones communicated with operators in Ukraine via Russian mobile networks, using simple modems connected to Raspberry Pi microcomputers. This low-tech but effective setup helps explain why ArduPilot was the system of choice: it remains stable even with high latency or weak signal strength.
Why It Matters
In modern warfare, agility and cost-efficiency are decisive advantages.
«The single biggest innovation in drone-use warfare is the scale allowed by cheap drones with good-enough software,» said Kelsey Atherton, a drone expert and the chief editor at Center for International Policy, speaking to 404 Media.
He emphasized that cheap, modular systems offer resilience through redundancy — if a drone is lost, it’s cheap to replace. That’s a key reason why no high-end futuristic weapon can fully defend against them.
Ukraine’s use of open-source tools like ArduPilot proves a powerful point: the future of warfare may be built not in secret labs but in garages, forums, and GitHub repos around the world.
Spider’s Web: How Open-Source Drones Took Down Billion-Dollar Bombers
New details are emerging about the historic Operation Spider’s Web, during which Ukrainian FPV drones struck 41 Russian aircraft in a single coordinated attack. According to a report by 404 Media, the drones used ArduPilot, an open-source software platform for autonomous flight control. This remarkable strike underscores the asymmetric nature of this war: affordable, open-source-powered drones taking down billion-dollar assets that are difficult for Russia to replace.
Let’s break down what happened and why ArduPilot was key.
Known Details of Spider’s Web
On June 1, 2025, Operation Spider’s Web resulted in the destruction of 41 Russian aircraft worth over $7 billion. The targets included high-value strategic bombers like the A-50, Tu-95, Tu-22, Tu-160, as well as transport and refueling aircraft such as the An-12 and Il-78. According to Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), this accounted for 34% of Russia’s strategic cruise missile carriers at its main airfields.
The drones struck four military airfields simultaneously — Belaya, Dyagilevo, Olenya, and Ivanovo — spanning three time zones. It was a complex logistical feat. First, the SBU transported FPV drones into Russian territory, hidden inside mobile wooden houses mounted on trucks. Once in place, the drones were concealed beneath the roofs of these houses. At the designated time, the roofs were remotely opened, launching the drones toward their targets.
UAVs were controlled using a system that combined autonomous AI algorithms with manual input from operators. When signal loss occurred, some drones continued their mission on pre-set routes. The warhead was automatically activated upon reaching and identifying a specific target.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi revealed that preparations for the attack spanned a year and a half and added a striking detail: «The operation office in Russia was located opposite the Russian Federation’s intelligence headquarters.»
«The operation involved 117 drones and the same number of operators. Thirty-four percent of strategic cruise missile carriers were destroyed. Our people operated in different regions of the Russian Federation, across three time zones. Those who helped us were extracted from Russia before the strike and are now safe,» Zelenskyi wrote
What is ArduPilot?
ArduPilot is an open-source autopilot system originally developed for the Arduino hardware platform. It was created nearly two decades ago by former WIRED editor-in-chief Chris Anderson, Jordi Munoz, and Jason Short.
It all began in 2007, when Anderson launched DIYdrones.com and built an early autopilot using a Lego Mindstorms kit. The site quickly became a hub for UAV hobbyists. Just two years later, Muñoz won an autonomous vehicle competition with a helicopter running ArduPilot.
Anderson and Muñoz co-founded 3DR, and the first versions of ArduPilot were released in 2009. Over the next decade, development expanded thanks to a global community of amateurs and professionals. Like many open-source projects, ArduPilot is free to use and modify — a key reason why it ended up powering one of the most complex drone strikes in modern warfare.
Reaction from the Founders
ArduPilot supports a wide range of vehicles: multicopters, helicopters, airplanes, boats, underwater vehicles, and rovers. Its official mission emphasizes peaceful applications — search and rescue, 3D mapping, agriculture, and more. Warfare isn’t mentioned.
But that’s the nature of open source: anyone can adapt the code for any purpose. And that’s exactly what Ukrainian forces did.
Founder Chris Anderson acknowledged the unexpected military use of his software in a post on X (formerly Twitter), expressing a mix of surprise and admiration.
Jason Short also made a post:
How It Works
ArduPilot allows a drone to display GPS maps, follow pre-programmed routes, and maintain stable flight — even when GPS is jammed, as often happens with Russia’s GLONASS system. Its key features include flight stabilization, hover modes, and emergency fallback protocols for signal loss.
Russian forces have previously captured «Baba Yaga» drones — large, fearsome hexacopters — and, in February, found a Starlink terminal and remnants of ArduPilot software inside one such drone. But the UAVs used in Operation Spider’s Web were smaller and didn’t use Starlink.
According to Russian Telegram channels, the drones communicated with operators in Ukraine via Russian mobile networks, using simple modems connected to Raspberry Pi microcomputers. This low-tech but effective setup helps explain why ArduPilot was the system of choice: it remains stable even with high latency or weak signal strength.
Why It Matters
In modern warfare, agility and cost-efficiency are decisive advantages.
«The single biggest innovation in drone-use warfare is the scale allowed by cheap drones with good-enough software,» said Kelsey Atherton, a drone expert and the chief editor at Center for International Policy, speaking to 404 Media.
He emphasized that cheap, modular systems offer resilience through redundancy — if a drone is lost, it’s cheap to replace. That’s a key reason why no high-end futuristic weapon can fully defend against them.
Ukraine’s use of open-source tools like ArduPilot proves a powerful point: the future of warfare may be built not in secret labs but in garages, forums, and GitHub repos around the world.
