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.
“Gray”1 page
600278407 18 IV. AIR-TO-SURFACE MISSILES 69. Soviet air-to-surface missile (ASM) de- velopment began shortly after World War II when the USSR acquired a number of German ASMs as well as the technicians who had de- signed them. By 1949, the German team had developed a guidance system known as the "Kom'et" which was incorporated in the first Soviet ASM. We do not know when the test- ing of this system began. C 3 70. For the most part, testing of Soviet air- borne missile systems is carried on from the Vladimirovka rangehead (see Figure 22) which is adjacent to the Kapustin Yar rangehead. Research and development on large aerody- namic missiles is also centered at Vladimirovka (see paragraph 97, page 23). Facilities at Vladimirovka associated with airborne missile development include an airfield complex with facilities for assembly, checkout, and loading of ASMs and possibly AAMs. AS-1 System 71. We believe that the first Soviet air-to- surface missile (AS-1) became operationally available in 1956-. 1957. It is now standard equipment in most naval BADGER units. This is a subsonic missile with a speed of about Mach 0.8 and a maximum range of about 55 n.m. It can carry an HE or nuclear warhead of about 3,000 pounds, and has a CEP of about 150 feet against well-defined radar targets. The characteristics of the "Komet" guidance system, a beam rider with semiactive homing, limit its employment primarily against ships at sea. However, it is believed to have some limited afiplication with degraded accuracy against coastal targets. 72. Originally designed to be carried by the BULL (TU-4), the AS-1 imposes certain limi- tations on the BADGER (TU-16) jet medium bomber, which is now used as the launching aircraft. The missile must be carried exter- nally, and in launching the BADGER must fly at an altitude of about 15,000 feet at. greatly reduced speed. Under these condi- tions, the BADGER's operational radius is reduced from about 1,800 n.m. to about 1,250 n.m. with one missile or to about 1,000 n.m. with two. This radius can be increased by about 35 percent by a single aerial refueling. AS-2 System 73. The limitations of the AS-1 system, which increase the vulnerability of the launching aircraft, probably have led the Soviets to de- velop a follow-on system primarily for use against ships. This system, the AS-2, prob- ably became operational in late 1960 or early 1961. We estimate that it is capable of deliv- ering a 3,000 pound IIE or nuclear warhead to a maximum range of 100 n.m. at low super- sonic speed. 74. We do not know which of several possible guidance systems is employed by the AS-2. The missile might be guided to the target by radar on the launching aircraft; it is also pos- sible that a simple inertial or preset system is utilized. We believe that the system would use radar terminal homing against ship tar- gets giving it an estimated CEP of 150 feet. Against coastal targets, where homing is not- employed, the CEP would be about one n.m. The BADGER is the most likely carrier for the AS-2, and the system probably imposes little if any restriction on the aircraft at launch, although operational radius would be somewhat rcducci. AS-3 System 75. We believe that improvements in Western air defenses have led the USSR to provide its bombers with a more extended stand-off capa- bility. Concurrently with the AS-2, the So- viets probably developed a longer range air- to-surface missile system, the AS-3, to become operational in late 1960 or early 1961, which can deliver a 3,000 pound HE or nuclear war- head to a maximum range of about 350 n.m. We believe that the missile is powered by a tur- bojet engine, and that it would cruise to the vicinity of the target at altitudes of 45,000- 50,000 feet and speeds of Mach 1.5-2. TOP SECRET
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FOIA release, from the cia-readingroom collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 101 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.