SOVIET'S MISSILE BASES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP74-00297R000200030037-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 8, 2013
• Sequence Number: 37
• Publication Date: March 25, 1959
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

S TAT
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 50-Yr 2013/11/08: CIA-RDP74-00297R000200030037-0
1 VS/
NEW Wilk
r .
Soviet's Missile Bases
Washington Finds No Proof Moscow
Has Capability of Launching ICBM's
By HANSON W. BALDWIN
Despite the repeated alarms
In Washington,. lard evidence
of Soviet capability ,of launch-fit
Jonglp-hge rniisffes is still ab-
verifieltron has reached
is country Of numerous re-
ports. published here and abroad
of the identification of ballistic
missile launching pads. Several
such reports have been investi-
gated and were
found to be erro-
neous, Launching
Mg- for both in-
termediate range
and intercontinen-
,tal ballistic missiles could, of
course, be hidden in deep for-
ests, or placed underground or
deep in mountainous valleys, or
they might be mobile.
But extensive underground
construction would probably be
detected, at least in the case of
some sites, after a lapse of
time. And intermediate range
ballistic missiles?the Soviet
types of these have ranges of
700 and 1,100 miles?would
have to be emplaced, if they
were to reach Allied targets,
somewhere near the periphery
of the Communist heartland.
The satellite areas have never
been as thoroughly sealed off
as Russia itself, so that sooner
or later any extensive missile
emplacements in Eastern Eu-
rope probably would be de-
tected.
News
Analysis
41.any. .observers believe tha
Russia expects to- utilize mobile
launching sites for at least her
intermediate range ballistic mis-
siles: at sea, sub arines, and
on land, specially esigned, rail-
road flat cars. again there
is no conclusi *Vidence, as
yet, of any such unching sys-
tems.
If Russia had hundreds of
700 or 1,100-mil-ballistic mis-
siles mounted on tatcars, some
of them almost certainly would
have been seen by now. One or
more of the Soviet Z-class sub-
marines, the large submarines
yet built in Rusilapparently
have been modified to launch
what some experts believe may
be short-range ballistic missiles.
But so far this is the only hard
evidence of Soy,h4?. missile-
launching sites anAdiere.
This purely negative evidence
cannot be construed to mean, of
course, that the Russians have
no operational ballistic missiles.
In fact, other hard evidence
suggests that they have a sig-
nificant number, probably in
the hundreds, of 700-mile mis-
siles in the hands of troops.
It is probable that these mis-
.
siles can be fired from mobile
launchers, from hard-surfaced
roads or quickly improvised
launching sites. In any case, no
,fixed per,manen, t installations
have been discOVered,
- Available Witknee suggests
that thsi?Riissians have few, if
any, 1,100,mile xockets in oper-
ation. ? Originally, it was be-
II
liecled that the _700 and 1,100-
mile rockets were 'part of the
same ."farail,y." but it is now
believed the two are distinct
types.
The importance of the 1,100-
mile missile is that its addi-
tional, range would enable it to
reach a few bases and missile
sites that are, beyond the range
of the 700-mile rocket. Because
of it increased , range its
launching sites could be moved
well back behind the Commu-
nist frontiers.
In the interconkinental bal-
listic missile field, we have de-
tected the -.firing. of only one
Soviet missile this year at a
range of more than 3,000 miles.
This brings the total recorded
firings of Soviet long-range
missiles (beyond 3,000 miles)
to seven. It is possible, though
this llogsibility is not rated too
highly, that the Russians have
established an ? . Arctic test
range, beyond the reach 9.f. 111,11'
two long-range surveillance
radars in Turkey and the Aleu-,
tians. \ ?
n? any case, best estimates
are that the U. S. S. R. nov.
has, or soon will have, a few(
ICBM's in operation (though(
not too reliable) . If' present I
estimates of Soviet. capabilities
are correct, and if the Russians
utilize those capabilities to the
maximum, the Russians may
te roughly 100 ICBM's some 1
time in 1960 and perhaps 5001
by late 1961, More probably.
some time in 1962.
*Contrary to popular impres-
sion, the Russians are still pro-,
ducing piloted bombers, though,
at a slow rate. They now have
about 150 heavy bombers, and
are believed to be producing ,
one Bison a month.
The Bison is Russia's stand-
ard heavy bomber, with four!
jet engines. Apparently none
of the turbo-prop Bear bomber,
has been produced for the last,
two years.
Small production of the i
Badger two-jet medium bomber,
roughly comparable to our,
B-47, is continuing. The U., S. ,
S. R. may have built up its,
total number of mediums to.
Ai
more than 1,000 by some time
this spring.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr 2013/11/08: CIA-RDP74-00297R000200030037-0