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

b. Future Role
The East German Air Force, which has
about -=i 21G--2Fishbeds wi l= probaly-remain-ex-
clusively an air defense force. The defensive capa-
bilities are being improved by the development of
three new airfields, at least one of which is west
of Berlin. This is a departure from the past practice
of basing all East German aircraft east of Berlin.
Rumania and Bulgaria will continue
to have an almost entirely 'defensive role in the
Warsaw Pact. Rumania has moved politically away
from the other Warsaw Pact nations but, since its
role is defensive in nature, it is expected to
carry out its commitments to the Pact.
The Hungarian Air Force has always
maintained a defensive role but recent evidence shows
that it now has 15 Fitter ground attack aircraft.
c. Capabilities
(1) Present Capabilities
(a) Interceptors
While East Germany has more
all-weather interceptor aircraft than the other Pact
countries--about 270 Fishbed D and F models--both
Czechoslovakia and Poland probably have a more effi-
cient intercept capability. East Germany received
most of its all-weather Fishbeds after mid-1966, while
those in Poland and Czechoslovakia were received ear-
lier, giving them time to develop better combat readi-
ness. It also appears that the East German.Air Force
is undergoing a reorganization that would delay de-
velopment of combat proficiency with the new aircraft.
Operational training in all
Warsaw Pact air forces is patterned after the Soviet
system. The greatest deficiency is the lack of ade-
quate flying time. The average pilot is believed to
log only about ten hours!' flying time each month. For
Rumania, the average is only about six to eight hours
per month.
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