" TALL MAN FIVE FIVE " STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND CONVAIR B-58 HUSTLER SONIC BOOM FILM 72012

About

Created by Convair in the early 1960s to promote the B-58 Hustler supersonic bomber, this film shows its role with Strategic Air Command as one part of America's nuclear defense. It also does its best to defend the aircraft's loud "sonic booms" -- created as it broke the sound barrier -- against public criticism. On March 5, 1962 the crew and the airplane "Tall Man Five Five" established three National Aeronautic Association speed records for Speed Over A Recognized Course.

00:00: Chad Huntley describes the immense changes over the years, from mud paths to highways, Pony Express to telephone wires, and small flames to electric giants.

0:21: Town criers' voices have been replaced by newspapers, horse hoof beats by motors and horns, and aircraft engines by jets. The report, in cooperation with the US Air Force and Strategic Air Command, aims to inform about a new sound, its causes, capabilities, and the necessity for certain areas to live with it.

1:25: Introduction with dramatic music and applause. The geographical center of the US, near Omaha, is the headquarters of the Strategic Air Command (SAC), responsible for implementing deterrence philosophy and policy.

2:30: SAC's mission is to be prepared for global strategic air operations, capable of immediate nuclear attacks to destroy an aggressor's war-making capability.

3:00: From Omaha, the SAC commander can order bombers into the air within seconds, 24/7.

Information from the North American Air Defense Command is fed into the control center, where emergency war plans are detailed for every plane and missile.

3:46: The control center can be sealed off in a matter of moments if war plans are activated.

The red telephone signals an alert to all SAC bases, while the gold telephone relays vital orders from the President.

4:38: Daily rehearsals for SAC's mission occur without public awareness, but occasionally the public becomes aware due to the loud sound of deterrent defense. The sound of deterrent defense is compared to a pin dropping compared to the alternative of war.

5:06: The development of nuclear weapons led to the strategy of deterrence, requiring a strong military force to prevent provocation. SAC is equipped with planes and missiles, with more missiles being added as they become reliable.

7:17: In the event of a surprise attack, early warning systems might give only 15 minutes' notice, requiring immediate action to launch retaliatory forces. Missiles cannot be recalled once launched, so bombers provide a flexible alternative.

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