Capabilities of Soviet General Purpose Forces

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-02646R000100110001-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 28, 1998
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: April 5, 1967
• Content Type: IM

Approved For Release 1999/08/24: CIA-RDP78-02646R000100110001 ~k"
Capabilities of Soviet General
Purpose Forces
INTELLIGENCE MEMORANDUM
5 April 1967
Approved For Release 1999/08/24 : 8-02646R000100110001-4
 Approved For Release 1999/08/24: CIA-RDP78-02646R000100110001-4
CAPABILITIES OF SOVIET
GENERAL PURPOSE FORCES
NOTE
This Memorandum is prompted by recent reviews of Soviet sub-
marine and ground forces order-of-battle which require changes in
the judgments made in the Intelligence Memorandum, "Capabilities of
Soviet General Purpose Forces," dated 16 December 1966, SECRET,
on the number and deployment of Soviet general purpose submarines
and army line divisions.
DISCUSSION
1. As of 1 October 1966 about 340 submarines were estimated to
be in the Soviet general purpose submarine force-including about 45
cruise missile submarines, nearly half of which were nuclear-powered.
2. A recent review of Soviet submarine order-of-battle indicates that
as of 1 October 1966 there were actually about 325 general purpose
submarines in the Soviet fleet, and that the cruise missile submarine
force was slightly larger and had a greater proportion of nuclear-
powered units than previously held. Since the nuclear-powered units
are equipped with more missile launchers than the diesel-powered
boats, approximately 265 launchers (rather than the previously held
250) were found to be in the cruise missile submarine force.
3. The greatest reduction in the number of torpedo attack sub-
marines took place in the long range F-class-down 12 from the pre-
viously estimated 56 units. The number of nuclear-powered torpedo
attack submarines in the force was reduced slightly-12-15 units rather
than 17; production of the nuclear-powered N-class apparently halted
sometime between 1963 and 1966. The number of torpedo attack
submarines in the Northern Fleet was reduced from 120 to 102-105.
The total number of torpedo attack submarines estimated for 1976
awmewpilm 1
Approved For Release 1999/08/24: CIA-RDP78-02646R000100110001-4
 Approved For Release 1999/08/24: CIA-RDP78-02646R000100110001-4
has been reduced from 240 to 220, about half of which will probably
be long-range diesel or nuclear-powered.
4. A recent review of Soviet ground forces order-of-battle indicated
that the number of Category I and II line divisions previously carried
was slightly high, while the number of Category III divisions was
slightly low. These changes require no revision in the previous esti-
mate of overall Soviet ground force capabilities.
5. Attached are new tables listing the estimated number and deploy-
ment of Soviet line divisions, and the estimated numbers and deploy-
ment of Soviet general purpose submarines by class and by fleet as of
1 October 1966. These tables supersede Tables I and IV, respectively,
of the Intelligence memorandum, dated 16 December 1966.
CA
TE-
G
ORY
Cat.
I
C
I
at.
I
C
at.
I
Cat.
II
C
at.
I
C
I
at.
I
D
III
IVI-
SI
ONS
East Germany .................... 10
0
1.0 0
0
0 20
0
Poland .......................... 0
0
2 0
0
0 2
0
Hungary ......................... 2
0
2 0
0
0 4
0
Western USSR ................... 11
3
6 11
3
0 34
8
Southwestern USSR ............... 0
2
1 3
0
0 6
8
Northwestern USSR .............. 0
4
0 1
1
0 6
4
Southern USSR .................. 1
9
2 1
2
0 15
13
Central USSR .................... 0
4
0 1
0
0 5
3
Far Eastern USSR ................ 1
3
2 5
0
1 12
3
s Of the 39 Category III Divisions 37 are probably motorized rifle divisions, 2 are probably
tank divisions (located in Western and Southwestern USSR) ; there probably are no Category
III airborne divisions.
b This number may be as low as 33 or as high as 46. This range reflects uncertainty as to
whether all of the units counted are in fact divisions.
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 Approved For Release 1999/08/24: CIA-RDP78-02646R000100110001-4
ESTIMATED NUMBERS AND DEPLOYMENT OF SOVIET GENERAL PURPOSE
SUBMARINES BY CLASS, 1 OCTOBER 1966-BY FLEETS
NORTIII BALTIC IBLACI{IPACIFICI TOTAL I MID-1967 I MID-1968
Type of Submarine
Cruise Missile
Nuclear
E-I Class .........
0
0
0
5
5
5
5
E-II Class ........
1.2-13
0
0
8
20-21
24-25
28-29
Subtotal ........
12-13
0
0
Diesel
W-Conversion .....
6
3
1
3
13
13
13
J-Class ...........
5-8
0
0
2
7-10
9-12
11-15
TOTAL Cruise Missile.
23-27
3
1
1.8
45-49
51-55
57-62
Torpedo Attack
Nuclear
N-Class ..........
9-12
0
0
3
12-15
12-15
12-15
Follow-on .........
..
..
..
..
..
0-1
1-3
Diesel
F-Class ..........
27
3
0
14
44
48-50
52-56
Z-Class ...........
8
5
0
7
20
20
20
R-Class ..........
11
1
3
0
15
15
15
W-Class ..........
47
48
26
46
167
1.65
160
Q-Class ..........
0
10
5
0
15
15
15
M-Class ..........
0
0
2
5
7
0
0
TOTAL Torpedo At-
tack ................
102-105
67
36
75
280-283
275-281
275-284
TOTAL General Pur-
pose Submarines.....
125-132
70
37
93
325-332
326-336
332-346
Approved For Release 1999/08/24: CIA-RDP78-02646R000100110001-4
 Approved For Release 1999/08/24: CIA-RDP78-02646R000100110001-4
Approved For Release 1999/08/24: CIA-RDP78-02646R000100110001-4