AN/FSQ-8 Combat Control Central
The AN/FSQ-8 Combat Control Central was a United States Air Force computerized command and control system. Several of the centrals were used in the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) air defense network for Cold War ground-controlled interception to give "each combat center the capability to coordinate defense for the whole nation".[1] Each AN/FSQ-8 (“AN/FSQ” derives from “Army-Navy / Fixed Special eQuipment”)[2] was a smaller variant of the AN/FSQ-7 Combat Direction Central with less equipment since the Q8 received processed air defense data from AN/FSQ-7 centrals at Direction Centers. The AN/FSQ-8 centrals were housed in eight[3] 3-story[4] SAGE Combat Center (SCC) buildings similar to the Direction Center building (some were colocated)[1] and the Q8s allowed "supervision of the several sectors within the division."[4] The Combat Centers "forwarded the divisional air defense status to" NORAD[5] (initially at Ent AFB in 1957, the Chidlaw Building in 1963, and the Cheyenne Mountain Complex in 1966).
Differences with the AN/FSQ-7
Differences between the AN/FSQ-7 & -8 | |
Combat Direction Central | Combat Control Central |
Computer program: Direction Center Active (DCA) |
Control Center Active (CCA)[6]:165 (no ATABE fire distribution algorithm) |
Long-range Radar Input (LRI) & consoles[4] | "not included"[6]:159 |
Gap-filler Radar Input (GFI) | "not included"[6]:159 |
Ground-to-air (G/A) message transmission | not included[4] |
Automatic Initiation Area Discriminator[6]:151 | not included |
Core Memory Bank 1:
65,536 words
|
4096 words |
1st test memory location:
3.777608
|
0.200008[6]:163 |
|
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ SAGE A/N FSQ-7
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 http://ed-thelen.org/SageIntro.html "The function of the Control Center in solving the air defense problem is to combine, summarize, and display the air battle picture for the supervision of the several sectors within the division." (p. 7)
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. (p. 153)