Documents / FOIA release
This is National Intelligence Estimate 11-5-61, Soviet Technical Capabilities in Guided Missiles and Space Vehicles. It was submitted by the Director of Central Intelligence and concurred in by the United States Intelligence Board on 25 April 1961. The estimate assesses Soviet surface-to-air, antimissile, air-to-air, air-to-surface, ballistic, ICBM, naval and space programs. It concludes that the first Soviet ICBM unit was probably operational around 1 January 1960. It also says there is no evidence the Soviets are developing offensive space weapons. It contains no UFO material.
“Kapustin Yar”16 pages
CO0278407 TOP SECRET DISCUSSION I. SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILES 29. The Soviets have developed relatively few surface-to-air missile systems, each designed to counter a specific threat, or take advantage of scientific and technical advances to assist in solving air defense problems. German as- sistance gave a considerable impetus to the early Soviet research and development in this field, but made no significant contribution after about 1949. 30. The major Soviet facilities for testing sur- face-to-air missile systems and for training troops in their use are located at the Kapustin Yar missile test range (see Figures 1 and 2). These are centered in a complex extending over some 180 square miles which contains four launch areas, associated instrumenta- tion and support facilities, and an installa- tion similar in appearance to known So- viet nuclear weapons storage sites. Training facilities probably can support 3,000 SAM troops at any one time. 31. At the test range, the Soviets have fol- lowed a generally similar pattern in the de- velopment of the two SAM systems now opera- tional. After extensive component develop- ment and testing at research facilities, a large flight test program was conducted at the test range using a launching facility specifically designed for research and development. Subsequently, prototypes of operational sites were constructed for more complete system testing and for training of operational crews. SA-1 32. This is the arbitrary US intelligence des- ignation of the first operational Soviet SAM system, which was deployed only in the area around Moscow. In late 1949 or early 1950, the development of this SAM system was placed on a priority basis and development time was telescoped. After testing on a par- tial prototype site, construction of missile sites at Moscow was begun in 1953, at about the same time as the complete prototype site was being constructed at Kapustin Yar. Deploy- ment of the system was begun in 1954, and the entire complex was probably operational by 1956. At that time 56 sites had been de- ployed in a dense and costly complex around Moscow on two concentric rings with radii approximately 25 n.m. and 45 n.m. from the center of the city (.^c., Figure 3). A typical SA-1 "herringbone" site has 60 launch posi- tions joined by a road network (see Figure 4). 33. Preliminary tracking information prob- ably is provided to the Moscow SAM defense by radars which are deployed around the city on a circle with a radius of about 200 n.m. Closer in, about 30 n.m. from the outer ring, a target would come within range of the tracking radar located at each site. This radar, designated "YO-YO" by US intern-. gence, can simultaneously track targets and scan for additional targets within a 54° arc in both the vertical and horizontal planes. Each SA-1 site is believed capable of engag- ing as many as 20 targets simultaneously. However, the limited coverage in azimuth means that a number of sites are required to defend a target against attack from all quarters. The SA-1 employs a command type of guidance system. It appears to be vulner- able to both chaff and electronic jamming to a degree which is heavily dependent upon the jamming techniques employed and on the skill of the SA-1 radar operator. 34. The V-301 missile originally designed for use with this system is unboosted and employs a liquid propellant sustainer motor (see Fig- ure 5). While its maximum speed is on the order of Mach 3.5, it has a low ini- tial acceleration which limits somewhat its engagement capability against supersonic tar- gets. The missile carries a payload of about 500 pounds, and its CEP is estimated at 65- 120 feet. Maximum intercept range will vary between 20-30 n.m. depending upon the ap- proach and type of target; for example, 9
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FOIA release, from the cia-readingroom collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is under it. 101 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.