Lockheed Martin is to use Linux as the operating system for the missile defence program Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) program, dubbed 'son of Star Wars'.

The system will use Concurrent's RedHawk Linux operating system for simulation and testing of the missile defence sub systems. Only the open source code could deal with the high frame rates required for a meaningful test.

"This is not the first time we've won with RedHawk," chief scientist Steve Brosky told vnunet.com

"It took time for the military to see open source as something that wasn't a security risk. They've got the message now, as this win shows."

The THAAD system is being built to protect the United States from missile attack by intercepting the missile in the air, similar to the Patriot system that was used against Scuds in the first Gulf War. So far it has had limited success in tests, missing more targets than it hits.

Critics of the system have pointed out that it would be easy to defeat with decoy missiles and suggest that the billions being pumped into the project could be better spent on conventional forces.