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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. 7 …option at the outset of war. -- - The deployment of large numbers of these advanced fighters also…
  • p. 21 …Rigid Soviet employment con- deploying advanced F-15s and additional F-l Is.cepts in the…
  • p. 29 …Participants;The initial air defense operation would to anticipate far enough in advance the approximateinvolve more…
  • p. 36 …o the new Blackjack could be more useful in penetrating NATO's technically advanced air defenses…
  • p. 48 …two hours before the front air forces and the NATO's technically advanced air defense system…
  • p. 49 …case, the Scuds may have been deployed forward to keep pace with the other advancing front…
  • p. 62 …or at NATO reserves advancing toward the drop zones. least until the front main forces have…
  • p. 65 …aircraft in the Western TMO probably would with the advancing ground forces of the coastal front…
  • p. 68 Top Secret - The deployment of large numbers of these advanced Introduce jam-resistant communications that could…
  • p. 70 …army groups and an advance to a particular commands. At the apex of this command pyramid…
  • p. 72 …the defeat of the main forces of specific opposing NATO army corps and an advance to…
  • p. 78 …also includes the Baltic Fleet air forces and the they were researching more advanced ways to…
  • p. 91 …The Soviet term for the branch of the cal-level forces and the provision of substantial…
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.