Ukraine used ArduPilot to help it wipe out Russian targets. It wasn’t the first time and it won’t be the last.

Ukraine used ArduPilot to help it wipe out Russian targets. It wasn’t the first time and it won’t be the last.

Open source software used by hobbyist drones powered an attack that wiped out a third of Russia’s strategic long range bombers on Sunday afternoon, in one of the most daring and technically coordinated attacks in the war.

In broad daylight on Sunday, explosions rocked air bases in Belaya, Olenya, and Ivanovo in Russia, which are hundreds of miles from Ukraine. The Security Services of Ukraine’s (SBU) Operation Spider Web was a coordinated assault on Russian targets it claimed was more than a year in the making, which was carried out using a nearly 20-year-old piece of open source drone autopilot software called ArduPilot.

ArduPilot’s original creators were in awe of the attack. “That’s ArduPilot, launched from my basement 18 years ago. Crazy,” Chris Anderson said in a comment on LinkedIn below footage of the attack.

      • unalivejoy@lemm.eeEnglish
        142·
        6 天前

        When open source software has its use limited for war, it stops being open source.

        • trevor (he/they)@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
          84·
          6 天前

          Eh. I don’t really care what the OSI a handful of tech giants in a trenchcoat have to say about the ethics of my licenses.

          If someone wants to allow modification, distribution, and usage of your software, in the spirit of open source, but don’t want it to be used by organizations that bomb children, I’d consider that better than an Open Source™️ license.

    • exussum@lemmy.world
      18·
      6 天前

      You can say this about any change, or innovation - vaccines, democracy, the Internet, psychology.

      If you want to push it completely into a political only view, why should we not become an isolationist nation, which steals but never contributes back?

      • Vegasvator@lemmy.todayEnglish
        416·
        6 天前

        The post I replied to stated it was a project they could support on an article about how it was used as a weapon against Russia. I believe it’s use as a weapon on Russia is why they support it. I asked them a simple question to invoke them to think, but then you chimed about all technology and even vaccines. And then talking about becoming an isolationist nation? What are you even talking about?

        • exussum@lemmy.world
          14·
          6 天前

          Asking people to think by riding the line of just asking a question is pretty lame. If you want people to think, don’t bury that. The method you employ is the same disingenuous tactic to defend the other side.

          What if the Russians did the same? They didn’t and it’s not on the table. They’ve already made up a war and prolonged for multiple years in an attempt to kill off and reclaim Ukraine

            • exussum@lemmy.world
              121·
              6 天前

              That’s the thing. I’m not replying to you specifically. I don’t think you’re going to change. Chances are most people like you don’t.

              I’m replying to educate all of the onlookers. What this guy did sucks and here’s why. And this is what you do about it.

      • Vegasvator@lemmy.todayEnglish
        217·
        6 天前

        You can say

        I asked a question, didn’t make a statement.

        If you want to push

        When did that happen?

    • HellsBelle@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      81·
      6 天前

      Even when the other side uses it?

      Sure, if they promise to just blow up empty planes sitting a tarmac.

      Guaranteed Russia doesn’t go for it tho.