In Your Defense: The SAGE System

Very cool.

I was an ECCM tech, we were a small group charged with frontline data analysis and control at long range radar sites since extraneous data could overload the memory cores of the Q-7. We were also responsible for overseeing that the systems were functioning within established parameters such as alignment with a permanent echo, power output, system noise levels and frequency drift on klystron-based systems just to mention a few. We were also responsible for data transfers to BUIC sites when level 2 operation was ordered by the direction center.

In all that complicity there was technology. We as humans are resourceful.

shame our biggest enemy is out fellow human being..what a sad planet we live on

Are you russian

Those vector displays are so cool

I was a scope dope at the 4634th Sage Support Squadron, READS, Reno Air Defense Sector from 1963-1966 when sage was closed down at Stead AFB just north of Reno, NV. I wish I could attach a KMZ file I made that shows all the Sage Direction Centers using Google Earth. Was on A crew and worked tracking, OT, and manual inputs. Those were the days.

How many Gigaflops does the main SAGE computer have?

You don't frighten me. . . Not even wif ye nuclear bums

Outdated by the time they were ready to use it

Thanks to alien technology.....did you really think people were that smart ???

I believe my place of employment uses that computer to process payroll. 😆

Not while I was stationed at McGuire NYADS. I think they closed it down right after I left . I left in May 1966 (a month early to attend college).

Now they have FAGE (fully-automatic Ground Environment)

If you drive by the airport on Highway 53 in Duluth, Minnesota you'll see a large mostly windowless building housing the Natural Resources Research Institute. It used to be a SAGE center.

"One of the most dangerous threats to our nation's security is the possibility of attack by enemy bombers..."
(shows clip of a squadron of B-52 bombers)

It took 15 seconds for that system to process all the data. with aircraft moving at high speed including Mach the location of aircraft were behind where they actually were. During training missions with a lot of aircraft involved, frame time could get as high as 30 seconds and higher. So the aircraft display on the radar scope would be way off from where they actually were. I was at the 26th Air Division/NORAD Region-Luke AFB. from 1976 thru 1980, worked in weapons control. The whole system was done away with in the early 1980's and replaced with new off the shelf computers and the old systems SAGE were scraped out around 1983.

Sad the RCAF used to provide about 1/3 of the interceptor for NORAD with day, night and all weather jets. Also had Bomarc Missiles some nuclear tipped and some interceptors were armed with nuclear tipped Genie air to air missiles. Today we are lucky if the ancient CF-18 makes it off the runway without breaking down. Best pilots oldest dwindling fighters

My Dad was with IBM from 1958-1994 and worked on the SAGE System.

Its amazing, without radars we would not have transistors, without transistors would not have computers. The massive room computer in this video is still using vacuum tubes I think.

Trained at Keesler in 1962 and was assigned to the Los Angeles ADS in 1963-66. Worked the ID section after the basic track monitor duties and a stint in the radio room listening to Russian trawler chatter trying to mess with our B-52s. I think I could still operate one of those consoles after about a week of retraining. Tom REY, A1C

Swamp Gas

🙏🤟❤️

Crazy that CHM will rather turn off comments for almost all videos, rather than receive their reightful criticism for that activist garbage you post now. What a bunch of racist, hateful nonsense. I am unsubscribed, you will forever stand in infamy!

Those of us who served in the USAF in the '50s and '60s blazed the trail with the SAGE systems and computers. Those systems did move with less memory and speed than most of the stuff I see today. I served from 1961 to 1965 as an AN/FSQ-7 repairman at Truax AFS 4631st Support Sq. (30551 B1). We were ChADS, Chicago Air Defense Sector and we often tracked over 350 aircraft at any one time with less compute power and storage than found on my cell phone (it is not an Iphone). We blazed the trail which is still being followed today. Nothing I see today impresses me.

Stone Age Gear Example.

I trained at Keesler in 1981-82 and was at the 25 ADS for two years. What an amazing education that was, indescribable.

What a ridiculous waste of money

American paranoia is beyond belief. Anybody would think they are in a constant state of war with the entire rest of the world. Nobody gives a toss about them then or now. And at the odd times people have done anything like flying two unarmed civilian aircraft into buildings, they were totally incapable of doing anything anyway.

I worked in the Air Force at the SAGE DC in Topsham, Maine 62-66. If you look at an satellite view now it is all gone.

THERE IS ANOTHER SYSTEM - THERE IS ANOTHER SYSTEM - THERE IS ANOTHER SYSTEM

wow... blast from the past I was a 276, worked the 485L system (can still write backwards)

My cell phone's got more memory and thank computer.

IBM 🇺🇸

A good Dell with an an i9 could run all the computing needs of one warship of yesteryear!

Given the historic timeframe of this Air Force film, one would expect much more cigarette smoking. Cigarettes and bad coffee were dietary staples in SAC.

I was a Weapons Tech at the Hancock Field blockhouse. Also a Faker Monitor Tech. 1978-1981.

S H A L L W E P L A Y A G A M E ?

Oh yes, they did have super sonic bombers in the research and development stages and we had no way of knowing for sure if they had but were just very good at hiding them. Bad surprise to wake-up and find out you guessed wrong as your city and country burned around you???

We expected large numbers of enemy bombers with large numbers of escort fighters to try to overwhelm our defenses. That was the whole reason for the surface to air, and air to air nuclear tipped weapons. We armed our strike forces with similar nuclear tipped stand off weapons in order to punch a whole in their defensive armada of aircraft sent to intercept our bombers for retaliatory second strikes. Some would not make it through and still some would be exposed to deadly levels of radiation but hoped would still complete the mission. This would all be a most deadly game if ever played out. But the alternative to this would have been the extermination of entire countries and societies in the blink of an eye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The SAGE bldg at Richards-Gebauer still stands, though is used for manufacturing now.

2019 squad

stop with the trump add already!

Nah I prefer the sugar system

The littlest used 1/3 frame per second frame rate. Those display screens were migraines waiting to happen.

When did they start to use it for business accounting?

american genuise