The IBM 473L Command and Control System (473L System, 473L colloq.) was a USAF Cold War "

Big L Lamont Coleman (May 30, 1974February 15, 1999), known professionally as Big L, was an American rapper and record executive. Emerging from Harlem in New York City in 1992, Coleman became known among underground hip-hop fans for his freestyling ...

Support System ''Whip-Smart'' is the second album by American singer-songwriter Liz Phair, released in 1994, the follow-up to Phair's critically well received debut, 1993's ''Exile in Guyville''. Despite not being as critically well received as her previous reco ...

with computer equipment at

The Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metonym ...

and, in Pennsylvania, the Alternate National Military Command Center nuclear bunker. Each 473L site included a Data Processing Subsystem (DPSS), Integrated Console Subsystem (ICSS), Large Panel Display Subsystem, and Data Communications Subsystem (

Automatic Digital Network The Automatic Digital Network System, known as AUTODIN, is a legacy data communications service in the United States Department of Defense. AUTODIN originally consisted of numerous AUTODIN Switching Centers (ASCs) located in the United States and ...

interface: "AUTODIN Data Terminal Bay"). The "System 473L" was an "on-line, real-time information processing system designed to facilitate effective management of USAF resources, particularly during emergency situations" e.g., for: "situation monitoring, resource monitoring, plan evaluation, plan generation and modification, and operations monitoring". In 1967, the 473L System was used during the "HIGH HEELS 67" exercise "to test the whole spectrum of command in a strategic crisis".

Background

In early 1952, the Pentagon's USAF Command Post (AFCP) "arranged" to receive

Air Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command of the United States Air Force, responsible for continental air defense. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air Defense Command, was established in 1946, briefly ina ...

(ADC) exercise data such as for planned mock attacks into defense sectors by faker aircraft (e.g., in 1955 on Amarillo, Denver, Salt Lake City, Kansas City, San Antonio and Phoenix.) An

Experimental SAGE Subsector The Experimental Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) Sector (ESS, Experimental SAGE Subsector until planned Sectors/Subsectors were renamed NORAD Regions, Divisions, and Sectors) was a prototype Cold War Air Defense Sector for developing th ...

" for testing a

Semi Automatic Ground Environment The Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) was a system of large computers and associated networking equipment that coordinated data from many radar sites and processed it to produce a single unified image of the airspace over a wide area. SA ...

(SAGE) was created using a July 1955 prototype air defense computer ADC's 1955 command post blockhouse was completed at Ent AFB, and "in September 1955, the Air Force…replace itscommand post's outmoded telephone system with a modern switchboard with 100 long-distance lines and room for more, so that 20 people in various parts of the country could hold as many as four conferences at a time". The

Alternate Joint Communication Center The Raven Rock Mountain Complex (RRMC), also known as Site R, is a U.S. military installation with an underground nuclear bunker near Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania, at Raven Rock Mountain that has been called an "underground Pentagon". The bu ...

in the Raven Rock nuclear bunker was equipped by the end of 1955, and ADC broke ground in 1957 for deploying the

Burroughs 416L SAGE Air Defense System Burroughs may refer to: * Former spelling of boroughs *Burroughs, Georgia, a historically African American community now a neighborhood of Savannah, Georgia * Burroughs Corporation, a maker of adding machines and computers * Burroughs (surname), p ...

(the

BMEWS The RCA 474L Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS, "474L System", Project 474L) was a United States Air Force Cold War early warning radar, computer, and communications system, for ballistic missile detection. The network of twelve ra ...

474L

General Operational Requirement A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED O ...

was specified in 1958.) After President

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

expressed concern about nuclear command and control, a "1958 reorganization in

NCA NCA may refer to: Businessses and organisations Australia * National Capital Authority, a government authority for development planning of the Capital Territory * National Crime Authority, defunct investigative agency India * Nuclear Command Aut ...

relations with the joint commands" was implemented, and the " AWCS 512L" system was deployed by June 1958. The GOR for a computerized 465L

SAC Automated Command and Control System The Strategic Automated Command and Control System (SACCS) is a United States Strategic Command command and control system to coordinate the operational functions of United States nuclear forces (ICBMs, nuclear bombers, and SLBMs). Background T ...

was issued in 1958 for

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile c ...

's nuclear bunkers (1957

Offutt AFB Offutt Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force base south of Omaha, adjacent to Bellevue in Sarpy County, Nebraska. It is the headquarters of the U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), the 557th Weather Wing, and the 55th Wing (55 WG) of the Ai ...

bunker & 1958 at The Notch). A

Joint War Room The National Military Command Center (NMCC) is a Pentagon command and communications center for the National Command Authority (i.e., the President of the United States and the United States Secretary of Defense). Maintained by the Department o ...

was activated at the Pentagon in 1960 and in December 1960, the AFCP reverted to a USAF-only mission when its "joint and national responsibilities" ended. After a "Quick Fix" program completed in the fall of 1960 and

NORAD North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD ), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection ...

Alert Network Number 1 Alert or ALERT may refer to: * Alertness, the state of active attention by high sensory awareness. Places * Alert, Iran * Alert, Indiana, U.S. * Alert, North Carolina, U.S. * Alert, Ohio, U.S. * Alert, Nunavut, Canada ** Alert Airport * Ale ...

was providing data from the

Ent AFB Ent Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located in the Knob Hill neighborhood of Colorado Springs, Colorado. A tent city, established in 1943 during construction of the base, was initially commanded by Major General Uzal Gira ...

command post in Colorado Springs, the AFCP had several rear projection screens, DEFCON status boards, and a display with colored regional blocks for the

Bomb Alarm System The Bomb Alarm System (also known as the Bomb Alarm Display System) was a US and UK network of optical bhangmeter sensors intended to confirm the detonation of an enemy nuclear weapon near cities or military installations within the US or at US op ...

(work had started in May 1959 for transmitting BAS data to "six command centers".) In January 1962, the

Deep Underground Command Center The Deep Underground Command Center (DUCC), sometimes also called the Deep Underground Command and Control Site (DUCCS), was a United States military installation that was proposed on January 31, 1962, to be "a very deep underground center close to ...

was planned as a nuclear bunker beneath the Pentagon (the Raven Rock bunker would be phased out.) The

Air Force Command Post Systems Division The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

was activated in 1960 for handling AFCP equipment issues (cf. AFSC's

Electronic Systems Division The Electronic Systems Center was a product center of Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) headquartered at Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts. Its mission was to develop and acquire command and control, communications, computer, and intelligenc ...

which had the SPO) and in October 1962, DoD Directive S-5100.30 "designated 473L as the “Air Force service headquarters subsystem” of the

Worldwide Military Command and Control System The Worldwide Military Command and Control System, or WWMCCS , was a military command and control system implemented for the command and control of the United States military. It was created in the days following the Cuban Missile Crisis. WWMCCS ...

(WWMCCS) established the same month."

OTC phase

The "Operational and Training Capability" (OTC) phase by IBM Federal Systems was the first stage of development for the 473 program. Each "Computer Communication Console" by TRW Space Technology Laboratories for OTC was part of the "DC400B/DIB display and interrogation system" that had 2 "10-inch CRT displays together with a sophisticated keyboard" This "temporary 473L system" had an

IBM 1401 The IBM 1401 is a variable-wordlength decimal computer that was announced by IBM on October 5, 1959. The first member of the highly successful IBM 1400 series, it was aimed at replacing unit record equipment for processing data stored on pu ...

computer and IBM 1405 Disk Storage Unit. On January 1, 1963, ESD's 473L

System Program Office A system is a group of interacting or interrelated elements that act according to a set of rules to form a unified whole. A system, surrounded and influenced by its environment, is described by its boundaries, structure and purpose and express ...

was expanded (473L/492L SPO) with the added 492L responsibility for developing the

United States Strike Command In 1961 the United States Strike Command (STRICOM) was established at MacDill Air Force Base as a unified combatant command capable of responding to global crises. The name of the command was originally derived from the acronym for Swift Tactic ...

'
Airborne Communications Center/Command Post
(SPOs were separated on June 15, 1965).

OUR phase

As an upgrade before the IOC phase, an

IBM 1410 The IBM 1410, a member of the IBM 1400 series, was a decimal computer with variable word length that was announced by IBM on September 12, 1960 and marketed as a midrange business computer. It was withdrawn on March 30, 1970. Overview The 1410 ...

was leased in February 1964, and the IBM 1401 computer was phased out by April—revision of OTC software for the 1410 computer was by Project OUR (OTC Update and Revision).

IOC phase

The Librascope AN/FYQ-11 Data Processor Set was "a configuration of the L-3055" computer that

Librascope Librascope was a Glendale, California, division of General Precision Equipment, General Precision, Inc. (GPI). It was founded in 1937 by Lewis W. Imm to build and operate theater equipment, and acquired by General Precision in 1941. During World ...

manufactured at

Glendale Glendale is the anglicised version of the Gaelic Gleann Dail, which means ''valley of fertile, low-lying arable land''. It may refer to: Places Australia *Glendale, New South Wales **Stockland Glendale, a shopping centre *Glendale, Queensland, a ...

procured for the Initial Operational Capability phase with limited FYQ-11 equipment (e.g., without OA-6041 Control-Indicator Console).() and only "4 integrated consoles". FYQ-11 had been accepted by the USAF

in late March 1965 to replace the IBM 1410 (each FYQ-11 was "234 cu ft nd required500 sq ft" area). The FYQ-11 had been proposed on February 19, 1962, for the Complete Operational Capability (dual AN/FYQ-11 sets with only a single OA-6041.) COC programs planned for the L-3055 included the "Deployment Monitor", "ACE-Tactical", and "ACE-Transport" (

Computer Based Training Educational technology (commonly abbreviated as edutech, or edtech) is the combined use of computer hardware, software, and educational theory and practice to facilitate learning. When referred to with its abbreviation, edtech, it often refers ...

on the FYQ-11 was also planned.) After FYQ-11 problems, the USAF Chief of Staff in 1966 cancelled the AN/FYQ-11 and the

Comptroller A comptroller (pronounced either the same as ''controller'' or as ) is a management-level position responsible for supervising the quality of accounting and financial reporting of an organization. A financial comptroller is a senior-level exec ...

was directed to dispose of "the L-3055 system's equipment" (1977 lawsuit claims by the 1968 Librascope parent--

The Singer Company Singer Corporation is an American manufacturer of consumer sewing machines, first established as I. M. Singer & Co. in 1851 by Isaac M. Singer with New York lawyer Edward C. Clark. Best known for its sewing machines, it was renamed Singer Man ...

—were denied.)

Complete operational capability

A second IBM 1410 computer was installed by December 15, 1966, and the entire 473L System included: ;AN/FYA-2 Integrated Data Transfer Console: The AN/FYA-2 ("473L Integrated Console" with Logic Keyboard Display (LKB) provided the fully equipped 473L operator environment—cf. AN/FYA-3 didn't have a Hard Copy Device (HC) for the Multicolored Display (MC), nor a Console Printer (CP); while the AN/FYA-4 only had an Electronic Typewriter/Display (RT) and CP. The console was run by a Monitor Program in the DPSS, and "operational capabilities ereexercised via operational capability overlays; that is, via plastic masks fitting over the logic keyboard portion of the operator console." The original COC plan was for DPSS output for 11 MCs and 15 CPs (i.e., 4 of the simplest AN/FYA-4 consoles for printing reports). ;Query Language (473L Query):) Query Language was "very similar to the COLINGO query language and was "a constrained English language…for man-machine communication in System 473L. …to retrieve data from any file in the system or to perform certain other functions." For example, the code for airfields both within Brazil and within a 2000-mile

great-circle distance The great-circle distance, orthodromic distance, or spherical distance is the distance along a great circle. It is the shortest distance between two points on the surface of a sphere, measured along the surface of the sphere (as opposed to a st ...

of Brazilia is: ::''Retrieve airfields with country > Brazil, GCD (Brazilia » 2000)'' ;Large Panel Display Subsystem: IT&T was awarded the May 1965 contract for the large 473L display which was to present information in both

black and white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

and in color. In 1971 an

Iconorama Iconorama was a Cold War electronic projection system for graphic presentation ("stylized display using an etched plate to produce symbols") developed by the firm Fenske, Fedrick and Miller. The Iconorama was ordered by the United States Air Fo ...

was still being used by "

at the Air Force System 473L".

References

{{Reflist , refs= {{Cite report , date=July 1964 , title=Antaccs Project , url=http://bitsavers.trailing-edge.com/pdf/informatics/antaccs/ANTACCS_Project_Midway_Report_Jul64.pdf , format=Midway Report , access-date=2014-04-02 , quote=the first stage of the 473L program called the Operational and Training Capability (OTC) phase. This was implemented by

IBM Federal Systems Division International Business Machines (IBM), nicknamed "Big Blue", is a multinational computer technology and IT consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM originated from the unification of several companies that wo ...

by the Introduction of the IBM 1401/ 1405 (disc) systems together with the DC400B/DIB display and interrogation system of

Thompson Ramo Wooldridge TRW Inc., was an American corporation involved in a variety of businesses, mainly aerospace, electronics, automotive, and credit reporting.http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/TRW-Inc-Company-History.html TRW Inc. It was a pioneer ...

. … System 473L uses configuration c) with two consoles and the IBM-140l computer. (text-only cop
available at archive.org.)
/ref> Appendix A of TR-66-261 {{Cite report , last=Brown , first=C.B. , date=4 December 1962 , title=473L DPSS/ICSS Interface Description , url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/AD0297312.pdf , format=Technical Memorandum , number=TM-3511 , publisher= MITRE Corporation , access-date=2022-06-01 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141024225843/http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/297312.pdf , url-status=live , archive-date=October 24, 2014 {{Citation , title=Programmer's Reference Manual For An L-3055 Data Processing System Used As The AN/FYQ-11 Data Processor Set , pages=1-3, 1-4 , chapter=Figure 1-2. AN/FYQ-11 Data Flow and Switching Control Diagram , chapter-url=http://www.marksmath.com/files/librascope/prm-fig-01-2.html , access-date=2014-04-06 , archive-date=2016-03-03 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303221125/http://www.marksmath.com/files/librascope/prm-fig-01-2.html , url-status=bot: unknown {{Cite journal , journal=Electronics , date=July 30, 1964 , title=473L System's AN/FYQ-11 , url=http://scienceservice.si.edu/pages/052125.htm , format=article transcript at scienceservice.si.edu , access-date=2014-04-02 , quote=

under the USAF Deputy Chief… Built around two large computers and 25 other electronic units, the data-processing equipment will become the nerve center of USAF's 473L command-and-control system already at work in the Air Force Command Post at the Pentagon. … The 473L complex {{Cite report , last=Sturm , first=Thomas A. , date=August 1967 , title=The Air Force Command and Control System: 1950-1966 , url=http://www.afhso.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-110429-030.pdf , publisher=USAF Historical Division Liaison Office , access-date=2014-04-02 , quote=the Army maintained that the Air Force command and control network was insufficiently reliable to permit proper control of Army weapons .g., Nike missiles">Nike_missile.html" ;"title=".g., Nike missile">.g., Nike missilesin a crisis, and as a result the two services were, from a practical standpoint, poles apart on the issue of single control of weapons. {{Cite report , number=ESD-TR-66-261 , title=Computer Directed Training: System 473L Query Language , url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/AD0483236.pdf , first1=J.D. , last1=Schiff , first2=M.L. , last2=Chenevert , first3=W.F. , last3=Bennett , publisher=ESD Decision Science Laboratory , date=April 1966 , access-date=2022-06-01 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413141220/http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/483236.pdf , url-status=live , archive-date=April 13, 2014 {{Cite report , last1=Wainstein , first1=L. (Project Leader) , date=June 1975, number=Study S-467 , publisher=Institute for Defense Analyses , title=The Evolution of U.S. Strategic Command and Control and Warning, 1945-1972 Cold War military computer systems of the United States Equipment of the United States Air Force United States nuclear command and control