Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-01-18

planes believed Impossible rev
It is the semi-automati
(SAGE), q fantastic electronit
brain which needs only the
minimum of human guidance to
spot invading bombers and in
tercept whole fleets with jet
fighters and guided missiles. It
is a multi-billion dollar program
SAGE makes available COM
prehensive and detailed inform
alton about enemy air attacks
as soon as the outer defense is
preached. It automatically
calculates the best application
of defense weapons. It then
guides interceptor planes and
long-range missiles to targets
automatically by radio. AS the
air battle moves, information Is
transferred spontaneously to an
adjacent computer. which takes
up the task.
fTOuuCI1OH OEuCECu
Although SAGE is undergo
ing evaluation tests not to be
completed before summer. pro-
duction of the units has been
ordered.
The three units already on
order will be placed at Fort Dix,
N. j.. Syracuse. N. Y, and Fort
Custer at Battle Creek, Mich.
officials here said the highest
Government levels in Washing
ton had decided to go ahead
with production prior to final
evaluation because of the crit
lcal situation" in the continental
defense field.
They said the electronic ma
chimes were the largest known in
existence and would revolution
lie" air defense methods.
In answer TO questions. they
said that If the Russians chose
to do so they could also build a
SAGE outfit.
"They are as close to us as that
In the technical field" one ON
cial replied.
The huge and complicated
system was developed by the
Massachusetts, Institute Of Tech
nology's Lincoln Laboratory
which was organized in 1851 at
the joint request Of the Army
Navy and Air Force following
announcement of Soviet posses
sion of the atomic bomb and
long bombers.
Row on Row Of Lights
The heart of SAGE is the
direction center with row after
row Of tiny lights which flick on
and of on the big panels. Be-
hind are $4,000 vacuum tubes
like those in an ordinary radio OF
television set. It is called a "high-
speed digital computer."
It digests radar information
from many sources-on land. on
Navy picket ships at sea. on
Texas towers and on airborne
early-warning planes. Other data
is fed in from ground observance
height finding stations, flight
plans and weather stations.
The incre dible computel
digests all this information as
fast as it is received and trans
lates it into an overall picture
of the air situation. These auto
matte TV-like pictures show the
air battle as it develops.
A weapons assigner", Is told
how far away the attacker is
what course he is following, how
fast he is travelling and at what
altitude. One OF several weapon,
directors" is given the task Of
interception. The director pushe.
a button and on a scope there
Immediately appears a com.
posite picture showing what in.
terceptor planes are immediatel,
available. where their bases are
how many minutes it will TAXI
them to reach the enc m y
whether available Army Nike
guided missiles can reach tht
oncoming target and the loca'
ton of anti-aircraft weapons.
Select the Weapon
The director thus can selec
the right interception weapon. 1
1t is a jet plane. it can be guidet
automatically by a data link
device to the target. Informa
: ton is flashed to cockpit dial
80 that the pilot need only 81