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Warsaw Pact Air Forces: Support of Strategic Operations in Central Europe, CIA/DI/SOVA Intelligence Assessment, January 1985.

Central Intelligence Agency · 95 pages · text from the file's own layer

This Central Intelligence Agency Directorate of Intelligence assessment, dated January 1985, examines how Warsaw Pact air forces would support large strategic operations in Central Europe. It concludes that the Soviets see NATO air power as the greatest threat to a Pact ground offensive. They revised their air supremacy plans in 1980 and 1981 to use sector-concentrated raids and a defensive air operation. The assessment also finds that heavy aircraft losses and limited deep attack capability would remain serious problems. The document has no UFO content.

  • p. 20 Top\Secret Of these missions, the Soviets place greatest emphasis Emergence of the Iritial Air Operation…
  • p. 45 …A more immediate tactical require- duties to perform other missions, such as attackingment, however, would be…
  • p. 46 …Its mission which would be used to maintain air cover in thewould-be-to establish the…
  • p. 54 …missions. We cannot rule out the possibili-TMO high command's area of direct control in…
  • p. 58 …Even in circumstances where final reconnaissance missions could be flown before the strikes, Soviet radio communications…
  • p. 59 …The targets ofappendix A for a brief discussion of these missions). subsequent air operations would in…
  • p. 70 …Soviet control of the key Pact command posi- front missile and artillery forces, front air defensetions…
  • p. 72 …forces missions, rather than the depth of the army offensive operation-typicallyas separate missions. about 150…
  • p. 92 …forces, command and control centers, and other rear area installations in the area of the planned…
Top\Secret
Table 3
Estimated Numbers of Warsaw Pact Combat Aircraft
Available TMO-Wide To Participate in the Initial Air Operation
at the Outset of War in the Western TMO, mid-1983 a
Assigned Combat-Ready Aircraft . Nuclear Alert Available for
Combat Air Operation
Aircraft Rate b Aircraft Rate' Aircraft
(percent) (percent)
Moderate Force -- - - - - "- - -_
Legnica strategic air
army (SAA) ___
Attack 180 90 and 95 165 10 18 145
Fighter 135 - - - 95 130 130
Support 40 95 40 40
Vinnitsa SAA -
-Attack __190____ 10 90 170 10 18 150
Fightr 125 90 115 115
Support 40 90 35 35
Smolensk SAA - ' - -
- Attack 265 90 240 10 24 215
Support 200 90 180 180
Moscow SAA
Attack 25 __20_ 90 20 20
B)altic Fleet Air Force (AF)
Attack ___ 135 90 120 10 12 110
_Support 40 90 35 35
Polish-GDR Front Air
Force (FAF)
ttack 200 85 170 10 8 160
Fighit 200 85 170 170
Support 70 85 60 60
GSFG-GDR FAF -
Attack 395 85 and 95 370 10 35 335
Fighter 505 d - 85 and 95 460 460
Support 100 85 and 95 95 95
Czcchoslovak-CG F FA F -
Attack 55 85 130 10 12 120
Fighter 310d 8 and 95 270 270
Support_______ 65 85and95 55 55 -
Total 3,375 3,9 030 127 2.900
Attack 1,545 1,385 127 1,255
Fighter 1,275 1,145 - -,145
Support __ 555 500 500
Top eSecret 28

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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.