Flight controllers for drones and eVTOL

Flight controllers and autopilots: how to choose one

Updated November 3, 2026

The flight controller, or autopilot, is the computer that keeps the aircraft stable and makes it follow the commands of the pilot or the flight plan. It reads the inertial and air data sensors, estimates the vehicle’s state, and commands the motors, engines and control surfaces many times per second.

Key specifications

Vehicle types supported: multirotor, fixed-wing, VTOL hybrid, helicopter, eVTOL.
Redundancy: number of IMUs, barometers and power inputs; dual or triple processing channels with voting.
Integrated sensors versus external ones; quality of the internal IMU and its vibration isolation.
Interfaces: CAN/DroneCAN, Ethernet, serial ports, PWM outputs, ARINC 429 on certified units.
Software: PX4, ArduPilot or proprietary; mission planning and configuration tools.
Environmental qualification and operating temperature range.
Size, weight and power.

Integration

The autopilot is only as good as its inputs. It needs good IMUs, GNSS receivers and air data, clean power from the power management unit, and a link to the ground control station. Higher-level autonomy usually runs on a separate mission computer.

Manufacturers in the directory

Examples include Honeywell Aerospace, Embention (Veronte), CubePilot and MicroPilot.

Frequently asked questions

Is PX4 or ArduPilot better for a professional drone?

Both are mature, open-source and used commercially. PX4 has a permissive BSD licence and a modular architecture favoured by many companies; ArduPilot has a very large community and broad vehicle support. The choice often depends on the hardware, the team and the support available.

Why do professional autopilots have several IMUs?

Redundant IMUs let the autopilot detect and reject a faulty or vibration-affected sensor and keep flying. Certified systems go further with redundant processing channels that vote on the outputs.

Can an open-source flight controller be certified?

Certification depends on the development process, not only the code. Open-source software is not developed to DO-178C, so certified operations normally use flight control computers developed under that standard.

Flight controllers for drones and eVTOL

MP2128g2 flight-control computer

Veronte Autopilot DRx flight control system

MP2128HELI2 flight-control computer

Cube Orange+ modular flight-management unit

Cube Red dual-controller autopilot module

Veronte Autopilot 4x flight control system

Veronte Autopilot 1x flight control system

Cube Blue flight-management module family

Veronte Autopilot KAI flight control system

MP1028g flight-control computer

No products match these filters.

Flight controllers and autopilots: how to choose one