Vehicle Types Supported by ArduPilot¶
Overview¶
ArduPilot is capable of controlling many vehicles.
This document attempts to enumerate these options. It is a work in progress and is nowhere near complete.
Supported Vehicles¶
Note
R/W is “Real World”
| QuadCopter (X, Plus, H, V) | ||
| Desc | Four fixed equidistant motors | |
| Sim | Yes | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Copter | |
| Info | ||
| HexaCopter | ||
| Desc | Six fixed equidistant motors | |
| Sim | Yes | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Copter | |
| Info | ||
| Dodeca-HexaCopter | ||
| Desc | Six fixed equidistant pairs of coaxial motors | |
| Sim | Yes | |
| R/W | ||
| Code | Copter | |
| Info | ||
| OctaCopter | ||
| Desc | Eight fixed equidistant motors | |
| Sim | Yes | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Copter | |
| Info | ||
| QuadX8 | ||
| Desc | 4 fixed equidistant pairs of coaxial motors | |
| Sim | Yes | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Copter | |
| Info | ||
| Y6 | ||
| Desc | 3 fixed pairs of coaxial motors arranged in a Y, tail of the Y rear-wards; yaw via diff. thrust | |
| Sim | Yes | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Copter | |
| Info | ||
| TriCopter | ||
| Desc | 3 lift motors in a Y, rear-wards motor tilting to provide yaw | |
| Sim | Yes | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Copter | |
| Info | ||
| Petrol-Boosted TriCopter | ||
| Desc | 3 lift motors in a Y, rear-wards motor tilting to provide yaw, petrol motor providing lift | |
| Sim | Yes | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Copter | |
| Info | ||
| Bicopter | ||
| Desc | Dual, thrust vectored motors | |
| Sim | Yes | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Copter | |
| Info | ||
| SingleCopter | ||
| Desc | ||
| Sim | Yes | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Copter | |
| Info | ||
| CoaxCopter | ||
| Desc | ||
| Sim | Yes | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Copter | |
| Info | ||
| CoaxCopter - Thrust-Vectored | ||
| Desc | Pitch and roll control by independent thrust vectoring of the coaxial props | |
| Sim | No | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Copter | |
| Info | https://discuss.ardupilot.org/t/design-and-build-of-a-coaxial-drone/55521 | |
| 6-DOF Multicopter | ||
| Desc | Full 6-Degrees of Freedom via 6 specially-angled motors | |
| Sim | Yes: Realflight | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Copter/Scripting | |
| Info | https://hackaday.com/2021/01/09/six-degrees-of-freedom-omnicopter-with-ardupilot/ | |
| HeliQuad | ||
| Desc | Four variable pitch propellors with a single throttle value | |
| Sim | No | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Copter | |
| Info | https://discuss.ardupilot.org/t/collective-pitch-quad-support/21678 | |
| Helicopter | ||
| Desc | Traditional Helicopter | |
| Sim | Yes | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Copter | |
| Info | ||
| Tandem Helicopter | ||
| Desc | Two counter-rotating rotors instead of one main rotor and one tail rotor | |
| Sim | Yes | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Copter | |
| Info | ||
| Synchropter | ||
| Desc | Dual-disk helicopter with inter-meshing blades | |
| Sim | Yes | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Copter | |
| Info | ||
| AETR Plane - Tractor | ||
| Desc | Traditional Aeleron/Elevator/Throttle/Rudder Tractor | |
| Sim | Yes | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Plane | |
| Info | ||
| Plank Flying Wing | ||
| Desc | Flying Plank, differential thrust for yaw | |
| Sim | No | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Plane | |
| Info | ||
| AETR Plane - Pusher | ||
| Desc | Traditional Aeleron/Elevator/Throttle/Rudder Pusher | |
| Sim | Yes | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Plane | |
| Info | ||
| ETR Plane - Tractor | ||
| Desc | Elevator/Throttle/Rudder (“Rudder-only”) | |
| Sim | Yes | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Plane | |
| Info | ||
| QuadPlane X4 Elevon Pusher | ||
| Desc | Four fixed lifting motors; elevon+rudder control surfaces | |
| Sim | Yes | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Plane | |
| Info | ||
| Tilt-tricopter-vectored-yaw-QuadPlane | ||
| Desc | Pulling, tilting motors used for lift, thrust and yaw | |
| Sim | Yes | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Plane | |
| Info | ||
| QuadPlane | ||
| Desc | Four lifting motors, lifting an elevator/ailieron/rudder plane | |
| Sim | Yes | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Plane | |
| Info | ||
| Tri-Tilt-Wing QuadPlane | ||
| Desc | Multiple motors fixed to wings which pivot;single rear motor for stability. Ail/Rud/Elev | |
| Sim | Yes | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Plane | |
| Info | ||
| QuadPlane X8 | ||
| Desc | Four pairs of coaxial lifting motors, lifting an elevator/ailieron/rudder plane | |
| Sim | Yes | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Plane | |
| Info | ||
| QuadPlane Delta Y6 | ||
| Desc | 3 pairs of coaxial motors in Y6 arrangement lifting an elevon plane, fronts tilting for fwd flight | |
| Sim | Yes | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Plane | |
| Info | e.g. FireFly Y6 | |
| QuadPlane Delta Y3 | ||
| Desc | 3 motors in Y3 arrangement lifting an elevon plane, all motors tilting for fwd flight | |
| Sim | No | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Plane | |
| Info | ||
| Elevon Tail-Sitter | ||
| Desc | Fixed fwd thrust with elevon surfaces providing attitude control in both copter and plane modes | |
| Sim | Yes | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Plane | |
| Info | ||
| Thrust-Vectored Tail-Sitter | ||
| Desc | Two pulling, tilting motors on a wing, copter/plane mode transitions | |
| Sim | Yes | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Plane | |
| Info | ||
| Thrust-Vectored belly-Sitter | ||
| Desc | Two pulling, tilting motors on a wing, copter/plane mode transitions | |
| Sim | Yes | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Plane | |
| Info | ||
| Quad Motor Tailsitter | ||
| Desc | Four motors on a wing, copter/plane mode transitions | |
| Sim | Yes |
|
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Plane | |
| Info | Tri/Hex/Octo also supported | |
| GyroCopter | ||
| Desc | Unpowered main rotor disc (tilts laterally), pusher prop, rudder and elevator | |
| Sim | ||
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Plane | |
| Info | ||
| Ornithopter | ||
| Desc | Ornithopter - flapping wings +rudder | |
| Sim | No | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Plane | |
| Info | ||
| Rover | ||
| Desc | Pivotting steering wheels | |
| Sim | Yes | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Rover | |
| Info | ||
| Skid-Steer Rover | ||
| Desc | Tank-tread driven | |
| Sim | Yes | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Rover | |
| Info | ||
| Air-Boat | ||
| Desc | Vectored thrust fan | |
| Sim | Yes | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Rover | |
| Info | ||
| Fan-Car | ||
| Desc | Vectored thrust painting dolly | |
| Sim | Yes: Gazebo | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Rover | |
| Info | https://discuss.ardupilot.org/t/fan-car-a-vectored-thrust-rover/70036 | |
| Boat | ||
| Desc | Single-prop thrust, rudder for yaw | |
| Sim | Yes | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Rover | |
| Info | ||
| Sailboat | ||
| Desc | Boat with rudder and sail controlled via main sheet | |
| Sim | Yes | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Rover | |
| Info | ||
| Balance Bot | ||
| Desc | Fundametally unstable wheeled platform actively kept balanced by the autopilot | |
| Sim | Yes | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Rover | |
| Info | ||
| Vectored Sub | ||
| Desc | Thrusters with 6-DOF | |
| Sim | Yes | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Sub | |
| Info | ||
| AntennaTracker | ||
| Desc | Pan/Tilt PWM-driven continuous actuators | |
| Sim | Yes | |
| R/W | Yes | |
| Code | Tracker | |
| Info | ||