Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Lockheed Martin Selects Linux for Missile Defense

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the defying-all-rules-of-government-spending dept.

m3lt writes "Business Wire is reporting that Concurrent announced today that Lockheed Martin Space Systems has selected RedHawk(TM) Linux as the operating system for their United States Army Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) program." From the article: "Lockheed Martin selected RedHawk for the THAAD program due to the precision and guaranteed response time of Concurrent's RedHawk Linux real-time operating system. Only RedHawk Linux was able to ensure the high frame rates required in their HIL simulation without frame overruns, thereby ensuring the highest quality of system test."

6 of 532 comments (clear)

  1. Wonder if SCO will threaten them... by aapold · · Score: 0, Troll

    I mean, with missiles, I'm just saying...

    --
    "Waste not one watt!" - CZ
  2. It's the name by JanneM · · Score: -1, Troll

    Defence development people aren't as a rule the most grown-up thinkers in the world; deep within the sober engineering facade there is a small boy who likes things that go "bang!". That's the reason all defence systems have names that seem dreamed up by bored thirten-year olds in asgebra class. And so, if faced with bland, beige "Windows", the nerdy-sounding "Debian" or kewl, all violent-like "Redhawk" - it's red! it's a hawk! it screeeaaamms! - the choice is easy. You can really hear the go-faster stripes in the name, and just think of the logo possibilities.

    --
    Trust the Computer. The Computer is your friend.
  3. the right tool for the job? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Linux isn't really a realtime OS. You can play some clever tricks, like running Linux inside a RTOS as a low priority process, but it wasn't built for RT from the ground up. Sometimes that's useful for a nice graphical output, or to access all those extra drivers for consumer hardware. But for a missile system? Surely something like QNX or Windriver would make more sense? Something that was...well, designed to do RT, and designed so you can easily take out all the stuff you're not using (think less room for bugs). I haven't even thought about mission critical yet!

    I love Linux as much as the next geek, but tools for jobs folks.

  4. Re:I was killed by Linux by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Yeah, try to explain to Bush that his sheild is differant than his sword!

  5. YOUR MOM by PerlDudeXL · · Score: 0, Troll

    Your Mom Selects Linux for Missile Defense

  6. I feel dirty by Eli+Gottlieb · · Score: 0, Troll

    Lockheed Martin choosing Linux? I need to go take a shower.