OSR Contribution to NIE 11-14-68, Soviet and East European General Purpose Forces, CIA/DI/OSR, October 1968.

true V/STOL fighter in this group is the Freehand,
which has movable exhausts to provide a vertical
lght__capability =n-itasraent config~uratiLonthe.,
Freehand would have limited combat capabilities, and
it is believed to be purely experimental. Two other
aircraft being tested have auxiliary engines to pro-
vide extra lift needed for STOL performance. One of
these, the Faithless, is a completely new design,
while the other, the Flagon B, is a modification of
an interceptor currently deployed with IAPVO. The
Faithless appears to be the better of the two aircraft,
but neither has better STOL performance than the Flogger,
and both lack the range and flexibility of the VG air-
craft. As a result, neither the Faithless nor the
modified Flagon is expected to be deployed operation-
ally. Recent evidence suggests that testing of another
new V/STOL aircraft has begun, indicating continued
efforts to develop such an aircraft for operational
use.
As shown in the tabulation below, the
total number of combat aircraft in tactical aviation
is expected to undergo little change between mid-
1969 and mid-1970, after a slight increase resulting
from the Sino-Soviet border buildup anticipated for
the 1968-69 period.
Aircraft Inventory
1 Oct 68 Mid-1969* Mid-1970*
MIG-17 Fresco 700 -750-675 750-650
MIG-19 Farmer 65 75-50 50-25
MIG-21 Fishbed 1,450 1,425-1,550 1,425-1,600
YAK-28 Firebar 25 25-35 25-35
SU-7 Fitter 490 475-550 500-600
Foxbat .0 0 0-25
IL-28 Beagle 450 475-450 475-425
YAK-28 Brewer 170 150-180 150-180
YAK-27/28 Mangrove/
Maestro 150 125-160 125-160
Total 3,500 3,500-3,650 3,500-3,700
*Data plZotted in Figure 7 (page '57) represent the mid-
points of.these estimated ranges.
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TO SEGRET