Possible Plot Hole or at Least a Question
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Fail-Safe
gary_overman — 11 years ago(March 04, 2015 08:34 AM)
We know that once Group 6 got the 'go' signal and went beyond their Fail-Safe point, that any recall orders were blocked by Soviet jamming. This jamming was, it appeared, across all frequencies as Grady's co-pilot tried to switch to alternate frequencies with the same result. The fighters were apparently on at least some of the same frequencies as Group 6, so how was Omaha able to reach the fighters and order them in to go after Grady's group, but at the same time were not able to reach Group 6 to recall them? The Soviet jamming continued until after The President was on the hot line well-after they had gone past fail-safe.
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jgroub — 10 years ago(January 22, 2016 02:39 PM)
It's a reasonable question; if the jamming could reach all the way from Russia to northern Alaska, it certainly could reach to the interior of Alaska as well. At the end of the day, it is a bit of a contrivance for the film. It is part of the escalation; first they lose four fighter pilots; then the Americans help the Russians shoot down another 18 or so in the six Group Six planes.
I want the doctor to take your picture so I can look at you from inside as well. -
gary_overman — 9 years ago(October 03, 2016 03:47 PM)
It's a reasonable question; if the jamming could reach all the way from Russia to northern Alaska, it certainly could reach to the interior of Alaska as well. At the end of the day, it is a bit of a contrivance for the film. It is part of the escalation; first they lose four fighter pilots; then the Americans help the Russians shoot down another 18 or so in the six Group Six planes.
Thank you. You seem to have understood the question.
The same question was put on another forum (outside of IMDb) and no one there seemed to get what my problem was. -
jgroub — 9 years ago(October 10, 2016 11:43 AM)
Sorry, I wasn't quite clear. When I said lose another 18, I was talking about pilots, not planes. There were at least 3 people on each of those planes.
I want the doctor to take your picture so I can look at you from inside as well. -
ncdwbmk6 — 9 years ago(October 18, 2016 07:16 PM)
They didn't provide any details about how the jamming works. Apparently it's a new system that the Americans didn't know anything about. Maybe it's sophisticated enough that it can be aimed at individual planes.
Fowler's knots? Did you say fowler's knots? -
gary_overman — 9 years ago(October 19, 2016 05:42 AM)
They didn't provide any details about how the jamming works. Apparently it's a new system that the Americans didn't know anything about. Maybe it's sophisticated enough that it can be aimed at individual planes.
Jamming doesn't work that way.
If you are receiving on a certain frequency, what enemy jamming does is to transmit over the same frequency and with a lot moore power. The radio receiver can't filter it out; all they can do is go to an alternate frequency in the hopes that the enemy hasn't jammed that one as well.
I'm not saying that individual targets couldn't be jammed now, but in the 1960's when this film was made, no; I don't believe they could.
Nice try, though. -
ncdwbmk6 — 9 years ago(October 19, 2016 05:55 AM)
Jamming doesn't work that way.
The film is fiction and was set in the "future" relative to 1964. The jamming could have been based on new technology. Whether that technology actually existed then or now is irrelevant.
Fowler's knots? Did you say fowler's knots?