Hi everyone,
I’ve been running PiAware on my Raspberry Pi for a while now. While the default SkyAware interface is fantastic for general tracking, I wanted something more specialized to monitor the heavy military traffic in my area (USAF transports, NATO AWACS, and tankers).
I’ve spent the last few days building MilCom Tactical Display – a custom web-based dashboard designed with a “1990s Air Force Cockpit” aesthetic.
Key Features:
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Strict Military Filtering: The backend automatically filters for specific military callsigns (RCH, NATO, GAF, etc.) and ICAO hex ranges, keeping the list focused on “gray” aircraft.
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Tactical UI/UX: A high-contrast “Radar-Green” interface with CRT scanline effects and a custom-filtered Leaflet map for a night-vision look.
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Live Audio Alerts: Integrated sonar-ping alerts that trigger whenever a new military contact enters the sector.
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Breadcrumb Trails: Live flight path visualization for active targets.
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Tech Stack: Built with Python (Flask) on the backend and a lightweight JS/CSS frontend. It’s fully Dockerized and I’m currently running it on a VPS, pulling data from my local Pi via Tailscale for a secure remote setup.
I’ve open-sourced the project on GitHub for anyone who wants to turn their PiAware data into a tactical monitoring station.
GitHub Repository: https://github.com/krisauseu/milcom
I’d love to hear your feedback or see if anyone has suggestions for further military-specific filtering!
Cheers!
