Documents / FOIA release

(EST Pub Date) Science and Technology in Communist CHINA Through 1970

Central Intelligence Agency · 1965-06-01 · 95 pages · text from the file's own layer

This Central Intelligence Agency release is a Scientific Intelligence Study, TCS No. 4425/65. The Scientific Intelligence Committee prepared it with other intelligence community committees and approved it on 3 June 1965. It assesses Communist China's capabilities in science and technology through 1970, with particular attention to military and industrial programs. The study concludes that China will lag far behind advanced nations. The exceptions are a few priority areas such as nuclear weapons, missiles and air defense. It contains no discussion of UFOs.

  • p. 37 …Technological problems concerning the beneficiation of ores for the production of the com- mon nonferrous metals…
  • p. 68 …themselves state that, of the 300,000 mon-carrier network by using integrated multiple) miles of…
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Approved for Release: 2018/01/30 C00659420 -
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TCS 4425/as _1Q|:
a maximum effective AA range of about 1312
s vehicles of Soviet origin, the majority of which0 are of World War II vinta e Chi
,
g . na pOSSeSSes a
feet. The 85mm weapon, of World War II vintage, ca abili f ' ' ' '
tained rate of fireof 60 rounds per minute and ha
and the 100mm AA gun, designed in 1949 utiliz
m
ofi-carriage fire control equipment. The maximu
effective AA range of these weapons is 27,500 fee
and 39,000 feet respectively. Although research,
development, and deployment of surface-to-air mis
siles is increasing, conventional tube artillery is ex
p ty or manufacturing in limited quantitiese the Soviet T-54 medium tank and also an artifle
prime mover based on an old Soviet design D '1-Y
t the forecast period, th Ch‘e mese are not expected
to develop any significant combat vehicle of native- design. Moreover, during the period, the Chinese- are not expected to develop any mobility de '
vicespected to continue to be used in an AA role by the 01' 1'n6th0d$ Wh' 11 1
' ' '
Chinese during the period of this forecast. No
newly designed antiaircraft guns are expected to
appear in China’s inventory for the next 5 years
286. d. FIELD ARTILLERY wEA1>oNs—The Chinese
People’s Liberation Army is equipped with proven
weapons which are characterized by simplicity of
design, operation, ruggedness, and field maintain-
ability. The loss of Soviet teclmical support is
expected to have long-range effects on a weapons
modernization program. In the past, the Chinese
have relied almost entirely on foreign designs while
neglecting to develop a research and development
capability necessary for continued progress. The
Chinese are believed to have recognized this prob-
lem; though there is little indication that a vigorous
research‘ and development program for improved
artillery weapons exists at the present time.
287. During this forecast period, Chinese artil-
lery units probably will continue to be equipped
with the foreign-designed weapons currently in
their inventory. The artillery rocket launchers of
132mm and 140mm probably will be supplemented
by a Chinese version of the Soviet-designed 240mm
launcher. Current indications of the extensive re-
search and development effort in the field of rockets
should aid the Chinese to establish a design capac-
ity applicable to field artillery-type launchers. A
single-round, truck-mounted rocket launcher of the
FROG (free flight rocket over ground) type may
appear as a prototype, or in limited quantities,
thus providing the Chinese with a 10- to 30-mile
range weapon having a CW, HE, or eventually
a nuclear delivery capability.
288. e. COMBAT vamcmzs-Past efforts on the
art of China to develo and roduce tanks, ar-
P P P
mored personnel carriers, and assault guns have
been practically negligible. This is evidenced bythe current Chinese invento f
1c wou d significantly improve the
mobility capabilities of current tanks, armored suP_
port weapons, armored personnel _carn'ers and
transporters or special purpose armored vehicles.
4. Naval Weapons Systems
289. PRESENT R & n CAPABH-ITIES AND 'mE1~ms_At
present, the Chinese possess a minor capability
in the design and development of warships and
their associated propulsion plants. This capability
is based on experience gained as a result of Soviet
technical assistance which began about 1954 under
an agreement with the USSR to furnish technical
help and prefabricated components of naval ves-
sels. The Soviets furnished the Chinese with de-
tailed information, such as the working drawings
of ships under construction, with technical advisors -
from the Soviet shipbuilding industry who aided
the Chinese in solving design and constxuction
problems, and with material aid in the form of
prefabricated sections for warships under construc-
tion. This Soviet aid was fiunished to the Chinese
in the construction of several classes of warships,
namely the W-class submarine, the Riga-class
destroyer escort, the Kronstadt-class submarine
chaser, and possibly to some degree the recently
constructed C-class ballistic missile submarine.
290. Concurrently with the start of the Soviet
aid program, a department of shipbuilding W68
instituted at Chia-tung University, Shanghai, and
a serious effort was initiated to build research
facilities and to train technical ersonnel This
and is eicpected (b)(1
to strengthen e ese research and develop
ment capability as it begins to turn out technically
educated and qualified personnel. As a result Of
past Soviet technical assistance, the ship design
personnel have acquired a limited native design
ry 0 armored combat capability.
54
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. Approved for Release: 2018/01/30 C00659420
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FOIA release, from the cia-readingroom collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 95 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.