The movie was originally to be produced with the cooperation of Delta Force's real-life founder and original Commanding Officer, Colonel Charles Beckwith. The producers wanted to tell the story of Operation Eagle Claw, the failed attempt to rescue the American hostages from Iran in 1979, but they wanted to change the story so that Delta Force completed their mission successfully. Colonel Beckwith left the project in disgust.
Filming in the airplane was not pleasant for the actors and actresses, as temperatures in Israel reached over one hundred degrees Fahrenheit (thirty-eight degrees Celsius). Shelley Winters and Menahem Golan had several arguments over this. At one point she said, "I can't do this, I'll die". He replied, "Do it and then die."
Based on the real-life hijacking of TWA Flight 847 on June 14, 1985.
Eric Norris: Real-life NASCAR driver Eric Norris (Chuck Norris' real-life son) is seen as one of the U.S. Navy divers taken hostage.