| AN/FSQ-7 Combat Direction Central | |
|---|---|
| Part of Semi-Automatic Ground Environment | |
| AL: Gunter Annex (DC-09) AZ: Luke Air Force Base (DC-21)[1] CA: Beale Air Force Base (DC-18) CA: Norton Air Force Base (DC-17) ME: Bangor Air National Guard Base (DC-15) MI: Custer Air Force Station (DC-06) MI: K.I. Sawyer AFB (DC-14) MN: Duluth AFB (DC-10) MO: Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base (DC-08) MT: Malmstrom Air Force Base (DC-20) ME: Topsham Air Force Station (BaADS)(DC-05) ND: Grand Forks Air Force Base (DC-11) ND: Minot Air Force Base (DC-19) NJ: McGuire Air Force Base (DC-01) NV: Stead AFB (DC-16) NY: Hancock Field (Syracuse AFS) (DC-03) NY: Stewart Air Force Base (DC-02) ON: CFB North Bay, Ontario (DC-31) OR: Adair Air Force Station (DC-13) VA: Fort Lee Air Force Station (DC-04) WA: McChord Air Force Base (DC-12) WI: Truax Field (DC-07) in United States | |
 The AN/FSQ-7 included a Maintenance Intercom System (the phone on end of cabinet). | |
| Type | Military command, control and coordination system |
| Also known as | Q7 |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | IBM |
| Generation | 1 |
| Release date | 1955 |
| CPU | 49,000 vacuum tubes @ 75,000 instructions per second |
| Power | up to 3 megawatts of electricity |
| Mass | 250 tons |
The AN/FSQ-7 Combat Direction Central, referred to as the Q7 for short, was a computerized air defence command and control system. It was used by the United States Air Force for ground-controlled interception as part of the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment network during the Cold War.[2]
The name “AN/FSQ” derives from Army-Navy / Fixed Special eQuipment.[3]
An advancement of the pioneering MIT Whirlwind II digital computer design, and manufactured by IBM as prime contractor, the AN/FSQ-7 was the largest discrete computer system ever built. Each of the 24 installed machines[4]: 9 weighed 250 tons.[5] The AN/FSQ-7 used a total of 60,000 vacuum tubes[5] (49,000 in the computers)[4]: 9 and up to 3 megawatts of electricity, performing about 75,000 instructions per second for networking regional radars.
- ^ Murphy, Michael F. "AN/FSQ7 SAGE Computer: Luke AFB". Radomes.org. Archived from the original (personal notes) on March 22, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
Luke center was unique in the fact that it was the programming center for all other sage sites. This only meant that our computers…had more core memory, 32K total
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
IYDwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Dyson, George (April 1997). Darwin Among the Machines: The Evolution of Global Intelligence (1 ed.). Basic Books. p. 179. ISBN 0-7382-0030-1.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
Helligewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Granelia, Mark. "IBM-SAGE-Computer". Archived from the original on March 22, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2012.