awake nerd

Ubuntu Linux is utilized in Serbia’s military radar network. It is now part of Serbia’s automation system of the Center for Air Observation, Reporting, and Guidance called “SA cVOJIN”. The main purpose of the system is to create an image of the Serbian airspace and also identify flying aircraft.

Ubuntu Linux in Serbia’s “SA cVOJIN” project powers the operator’s workplace, the hardware from which aircraft movements can be monitored. The workplace consists of an auxiliary touchscreen and a 1:1 aspect ratio monitor.

According to tangosix.rs, the “SA cVOJIN” project is developed domestically, apart from the hardware that is bought on the open market. The project is a serious move towards replacing the old British hardware and system Marconi that has been used since the 1980s.

With up to 50 sensors connected at once Serbian’s SA cVOJIN can process up to 1000 targets simultaneously at an area of 1000km by 1000km. Other than identifying aircraft in the air it can also receive and process weather data. NATO Link 1 and the data exchange protocols of the European Air Traffic Control System Agency are supported for the sake of universal compatibility. A domestic protocol has also been developed to specifically solve the problem of the communication gap between old technologies in Serbia’s air defense systems.

Lately, Linux is seeing an implementation on serious nation-state military projects. Like Russia, Serbia is progressing toward IT import substitution in the government structures and armed forces. Serbia is implementing Ubuntu in its Air Defense infrastructure, fearing potential backdoors in the Microsoft Windows operating system. While local IT experts and open-source enthusiasts in Serbia argue that such a move should have been taken many years ago it’s worth noting that a good start is half of the job done.

jano