github.com/ArduPilot/ardupilot ↗

About ArduPilot/ardupilot

ArduPilot is a comprehensive open-source autopilot software platform developed since 2010 that can control virtually any vehicle type, from fixed-wing aircraft and quadcopters to helicopters, rovers, boats, submarines, and balance robots. Written in C++, the project provides production-ready flight control and autonomous navigation capabilities for unmanned systems across air, land, and sea applications. The software is maintained by a large community of professional engineers and volunteers who continuously expand vehicle support and add new features.

The project is organized into distinct vehicle-specific implementations including ArduCopter for multicopters, ArduPlane for fixed-wing aircraft, Rover for ground vehicles, ArduSub for underwater systems, and AntennaTracker for antenna control. Each subsystem supports a wide range of compatible hardware platforms and includes advanced features like GPS navigation, attitude control, sensor fusion through extended Kalman filters, scripting capabilities, battery management, and failsafe systems. The codebase is extensively tested through automated continuous integration including software-in-the-loop simulation for all vehicle types.

The project operates under the GPL v3 license and maintains an active developer community with clear contribution guidelines, dedicated maintainers for different vehicle types and subsystems, comprehensive wiki documentation, discussion forums, and multiple communication channels. The broad scope and reliability of ArduPilot make it widely adopted in both academic robotics research and commercial unmanned vehicle applications.