SwarmPilot v1.1.0 Released – Swarm Control (Up to 4 Vehicles) + Upcoming Fixed-Wing Support

General
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Hi everyone,

I’ve been working on SwarmPilot, a ground control system focused on simplifying multi-vehicle coordination using ArduPilot, and I’m excited to share v1.1.0.

If you’ve ever tried running a multi-drone setup, you already know the pain points—hardware costs, risk during testing, and the complexity of coordinating vehicles reliably. The goal with SwarmPilot is to lower that barrier and make swarm robotics more accessible.

:rocket: What’s Available in v1.1.0

Swarm Support (Up to 4 Vehicles)

You can now run a full quad-swarm without any licensing cost. This is aimed at students, researchers, and developers who want to experiment without committing to expensive infrastructure.

:test_tube: Native SITL Integration (ArduPilot)

SwarmPilot is tightly integrated with ArduPilot SITL, allowing you to:

  • Spin up a virtual swarm from your local machine

  • Test MAVLink-based coordination logic safely

  • Iterate on mission behavior without risking hardware

This makes it possible to validate swarm logic before ever deploying to real vehicles.

:globe_showing_europe_africa: Seamless Sim-to-Real Transition

Once you’re confident in SITL, the same workflows scale directly to real hardware:

  • No re-architecting required

  • Works with live telemetry streams

  • Designed for real-world deployment scenarios

:wrench: What’s Coming in v1.1.1

The next update focuses on autonomy, resilience, and usability:

  • :white_check_mark: Live Coverage Map – Real-time mission progress visualization

  • :repeat_button: Auto-Replanning – Dynamic redistribution if a vehicle drops out

  • :red_circle: Collision Risk Heatmaps – Visual proximity and safety indicators

  • :satellite_antenna: Pre-flight Telemetry Checks – Validate readiness before arming

  • :robot: Self-Healing Leadership – Automatic leader election on failure

:airplane: Fixed-Wing Swarm Support (ArduPlane)

We’re also bringing ArduPlane into the swarm ecosystem with a dedicated formation engine:

  • Dynamic Formation Geometry (V, echelon, line, etc.)

  • Precision Relative Positioning during turns and altitude changes

  • Hybrid Missions combining ArduCopter + ArduPlane in one environment

This opens up use cases like:

  • BVLOS corridor inspection

  • Large-scale mapping

  • Persistent perimeter monitoring

:movie_camera: Demo Videos

:link: Try It Out

:speech_balloon: Feedback & Collaboration

I’d really appreciate feedback from the ArduPilot community—especially around:

  • MAVLink handling strategies in swarm scenarios

  • SITL scaling limitations

  • Real-world deployment edge cases

If you run into bugs or have feature ideas, feel free to share. Happy to collaborate and improve this further.

2 Likes
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→ Takeoff in guided.

→ Switch to “Swarm mode” with leader in Loiter.

→ Crash the leader with freefall since no radio

→ Followers dive on ground

–> Is fun once. Rm the app.

4 Likes
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​Hi @khancyr

​Thank you for testing the application and sharing your feedback.

​In hindsight, the behavior you experienced is the intended logic outlined in the documentation: when a leader is assigned, the leader vehicle automatically switches to Loiter while the followers transition to Guided mode. The rationale behind forcing Loiter for the leader was to ensure the physical pilot retains manual positioning control during the operation.

However, I completely take your point. I realize that not every user will dive deep into the docs before flying, and the sudden mode change can be unexpected.Moving forward, I’m considering two ways to make this more intuitive:

  • ​Implementing a safety prompt to confirm the mode switch before it executes.

  • ​Removing the automatic switch entirely to keep the leader in its current state.

​I appreciate you helping me refine the user experience, your input is definitely going to influence the next update.

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Could I track an ArduRover craft with quads running ArduCopter?

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The link is not working, and I would like to participate in testing this method of drone control