[bigbob]

The company I worked for provided some hardware for the control center consoles seen in the clip below. They wanted everything to be functional to the point that messages would display when keys were pressed, etc. In fact that was all controlled by a CP/M computer in one of the glass booths on the mezzanine, running prepared scripts over serial channels. It was quite an extensive technical production rather than just faking it with CGI. The assistant director invited me for a tour and since they were filming the infirmary scene that day we got to see everything in the control room and all the behind the scenes tech. Very cool. But just an illusion nonetheless!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RRGvAB4HF8

[tang-soo]

The company I worked for provided some hardware for the control center consoles seen in the clip below. They wanted everything to be functional to the point that messages would display when keys were pressed, etc. In fact that was all controlled by a CP/M computer in one of the glass booths on the mezzanine, running prepared scripts over serial channels. It was quite an extensive technical production rather than just faking it with CGI. The assistant director invited me for a tour and since they were filming the infirmary scene that day we got to see everything in the control room and all the behind the scenes tech. Very cool. But just an illusion nonetheless!

Thanks for the clip from War Games. When this movie came out, my wife and I watched it in a theater in Fort Worth, Texas. I was a young engineer working in the Stealth Technology Group of General Dynamics, who manufactured the F-16 for the USAF. There's a scene where the NORAD General gets on the horn and commands, "Scamble two F-16s!!!"

The scene switches to a runway where two F-15s take off with their distinctive dual tail / dual engine clearly visible. This is in contrast to the single-engine F-16.

I think about half the crowd jumped out of their seats in protest - lol.

Found this online to confirm my aging memories ...

General Beringer orders his staff to 'scramble two F-16s out of Galena.' The aircraft later shown are F-15 Eagles. (This may be due to the script originally calling for F-15s, which were the front-line fighter in Alaska at the time.) Likely a slip of the tongue on the part of the General.