Kosmos was founded in 1958 as a company for the maintenance of radar, missile, and computer systems, and was part of the Yugoslav People’s Army. The workers employed by Kosmos were students from the radar school, radar workshops, as well as graduates in electrical engineering. Thus began the construction of the company’s facilities in Banja Luka, and operations commenced in 1959.
Kosmos functioned by servicing older types of radars and computers and later introduced new technologies to maintain all types of radar equipment used by the Yugoslav People’s Army. In late 1975, they began maintaining surface-to-air missile systems. Kosmos also dealt with the production of spare parts and modifications for radar and missile systems, producing over 10,000 types of military equipment parts. As part of a major military enterprise in a developed country, Kosmos employed more than 1,500 workers. Like other companies in Yugoslavia, Kosmos was part of the planned economy, investing in the development of social life. One of these investments was the construction of numerous residential buildings, which were allocated to Kosmos workers.
After the 1990s war, Kosmos became one of many companies that fell victim to theft enabled by transition from socialism to capitalism. The post-war government did everything to destroy the operations of Kosmos, and by 2013, it owed its workers fourteen months’ worth of wages and seven years’ worth of unpaid pension and health insurance contributions. This company fell into millions of debts, and its workforce, once numbering 1,500, was reduced to mere 80 employees. The RS Government announced that by 2030, it would complete the financial restructuring of the company and prepare it for privatization. Thus ends the story of a former giant of self-managed industry.
