Bandit variant

Summary¶

libdrone Bandit is the autonomous-capable variant of the libdrone family. It shares the Core airframe geometry (220 mm wheelbase, 4-inch props, 4S XT30) but replaces Betaflight with ArduPilot Copter, enabling GPS-guided flight modes, MAVLink telemetry, and QGroundControl mission execution. Its primary roles are operator training via a progressive flight-mode curriculum, delivery of the civilian awareness programme, and light autonomous survey missions including grid mapping, search-and-rescue pattern flights, and agricultural transects.

Concept¶

What ArduPilot changes¶

The defining departure from the rest of the libdrone family is the flight system. Betaflight — used on Pro and Core — is optimised for fast manual flight; it has no autonomous mission executor. ArduPilot Copter is a full autopilot stack: it can execute a pre-programmed waypoint mission without continuous pilot input, stream telemetry to a ground control station, and configure its failsafe behaviour around mission objectives rather than simple return-to-home.

For Bandit's primary use case — teaching operators to understand autonomous drone technology — this matters beyond capability. Flying a platform that executes autonomous missions is qualitatively different from flying one that requires continuous manual input. The training value is in experiencing the automation, not in piloting skill alone.

The training curriculum model¶

The six ArduPilot flight modes assigned to Bandit are not arbitrary. They form a progression: Stabilize (manual rate control, no automation), through AltHold (barometer-locked altitude), Loiter (GPS position hold), Auto (waypoint mission execution), to RTL (autonomous return). Each mode adds one layer of automation and one sensor dependency. A student who works through the progression in order understands both the capability and the failure mode at each layer — the same understanding that the awareness curriculum requires. See → ardupilot-flight-modes for the full mode reference.

The name¶

In aviation and military radio communication, "Bandit" is the brevity code for a confirmed hostile aircraft. The awareness curriculum this platform supports teaches operators to detect, classify, and respond to drone threats. Flying the Bandit is how a student learns to think like the technology they are learning to defend against. The name is a reminder that the training platform and the threat platform are the same hardware.

Reference¶

Shared SKUs with Core and Pro: Matek H7A3-SLIM, Happymodel EP2 Nano, 3 mm CF rod stock, M2/M3 hardware.

Procedure¶

Rationale¶

Bandit uses the Core-scale airframe (220 mm, 4S) rather than the Pro-scale (330 mm, 6S) because the primary Bandit missions — survey grids, awareness curriculum exercises, ATAK integration drills — do not require the Pro's payload capacity or 6S performance envelope. A smaller, lighter platform reduces BOM cost, reduces regulatory weight threshold risk, and is more forgiving during the early phases of the training curriculum when the student is still in Stabilize mode. The name and the mission are aligned: the Bandit is the minimum platform that teaches what needs to be taught.

Connections¶

requires: - platform-overview - ardupilot-copter related: - platform-selection - core-variant - ardupilot-flight-modes - elrs-mavlink-mode - qgroundcontrol - iff-architecture leads_to: - ardupilot-commissioning - ardupilot-flight-modes