Cold War Computing - The SAGE System

The SAGE (Semi-Automatic Ground Environment) System, was designed and built in the 1950s to defend against the threat of Soviet bombers attacking the continental United States. The system was much influenced by the design of MIT's Whirlwind II computer system (which was never completed). IBM designed and built the AN/FSQ-7 computer, the heart of the SAGE program, with companies such as Western Electric (who produced In Your Defense), The Mitre Corporation and System Development Corporation were also major contractors on the project.

There were more than twenty SAGE installations located across North America linking hundreds of radar stations, Air Force fighter wings, and missle defense sites in the first large-scale computer communications network. The SAGE network was decentralized and would allow a unit to continue operation even if other sites were disabled. As the Soviet attack threat shifted from long-range bombers to nuclear missles in the 1960's, the SAGE system became less strategic. However, parts of the system continued operation into the early 1980's.

This film explains the national security threats of the 1950's and 60's that SAGE was built to defend against, shows the SAGE computer and network in operation and simulates how SAGE would react to an attack on the United States.

Category:

Science & Technology

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• History
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• IBM
• Cold
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• Nuclear
• Soviet
• Air
• Force
• MIT
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[sixstringmania]

...and so John Henry Eden , computer-president of the enclave was created ...

[persevere67]

my netbook would kick this machines ass

[ActiveStorage]

so thats what NORAD is all about?

[QuickRefs]

My remote controller will put this giant to shame.

[jwaustinmunguy]

@jbingfa I think I saw a radar screen before I ever saw a television. (My Dad was so cool!). 9/11 was outside the scope of the Air Defense mission in every country. Congress would never have funded (and never will) a system that would blanket CONUS.

[jwaustinmunguy]

@sattanhellsing NATO primary search radars all face outwards and are positioned around the edges of North America. A lot of that includes Canada' North Warning Line -- a long way away. There never were a lot of military search radars in the interior. You can do it no with AWACS but you have to expect it. You can only defend against credible threats -- Elvis could attack in a flying saucer even today.

[jwaustinmunguy]

@RavenRof R/SAOC was updated by General Dynamics in the 1990s. Remember that the computing power needed is not very large and they have been at it for sixty years. I would expect to see this sort of application in a private, secure cloud some day. Distributed, redundant systems with lots of connectivity to weapons like F-22, F-35, AWACS, AEGIS, the White-house X-Box 360, Obama's iPhone. There's an app for that!

[jwaustinmunguy]

@selahia Your wrong. SAGE worked and NATO built a version the the 1970's. Read some history about the Soviets. They occupied Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, etc. etc. The US rarely occupy the countries they have 'liberated'. You can observe your likely enemies abilities by doing what they do and that is what electronic surveillance is all about.

[jwaustinmunguy]

@SpecialEdAllstar You think that the Soviets never tested this system. They made thousands of 'penetration runs' with manned bombers, most notably the TU-95 Bear. They also deployed their famous fleet of 'fishing boats' around our shores. The best fishing was usually near a NORAD radar station like CFS Holberg on Norhern Vancouver Island. Prime fishing time was during SAC/NORAD joint exercises.

[jwaustinmunguy]

@camposantoo The German system of WW II was similar to the British system. Both of these used GCI or Ground Controlled Intercept. There was a similar system in Germany but this was not implemented until the 1970's. NADGE or NATO Air Defence Ground Environment. One of their SOC's was in the 'Kindsbach Cave' which is described elsewhere. You can read a lot about the RAF systems and especially their approach to defeating the German Air Defense systems at the RAF Historical Society.

[camposantoo]

This is exactly copy of german defence system in last years of WWII. Serbs didn't have aviation, no chance of developing systems like this, wich is originally german. Simple.

[badbobbyhughes]

if i was to enter a room with so many lights and dials and buttons, i'd have to be restrained and sedated