Linux to power US Navy aircraft

When it comes to powering Navy aircraft, why settle for less when you can have Linux running the show for you.

Boeing has awarded Wind River Systems a contract to embed its version of Linux into a new military aircraft, the company plans to announce Monday along with a new batch of products built around the open source operating system.

Boeing will use Wind River’s Linux to run surveillance and other mission computing tasks in the P-8A Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft, a 737 modified for US Navy uses such as finding submarines and other tasks, said Chip Downing, senior aerospace and defense marketing manager at Wind River. Linux won’t be used for navigation or aircraft control systems.

Linux has made inroads into embedded computing systems such as networking equipment and mobile phones, but Wind River is trying to expand its presence in other embedded computing markets such as aerospace and military applications. The strategy is a turnaround for the Alameda, California-based company, which until 2003 disparaged Linux in favor of its own proprietary operating system, VxWorks…. Source: ZDNet