TRIP REPORT - AS-3

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-03330A004100080067-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 31, 2012
• Sequence Number: 67
• Publication Date: December 15, 1958
• Content Type: MEMO

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/07/31 : CIA-RDP78-03330A004100080067-1
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CONFIDENTIAL
Office Memorandrim UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
DATE,15 December 1958
\iTANDARD FORM NO. 64
TO : The Files - R11-122, Task Order 1
FROM
SUBJECT:
Trip Report
AS-3 ot.'
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10 On 9 December 1958 a visit was made to
to monitor the progress of RD-12,
AS-3. Participating
Task Order 1, development or
in discussions concerning this program were:
2.
for the delive
1 March 1959.
but that every e o
performed since the initial prototype was returned to the contractor
on 29 October 1958, the writer was shown a skeleton model of a
redesigned cartridge and a blueprint of the projected coder. A model
of a redesigned hand key was also demonstrated. said that
effort on the program had been doubled (from 3 to 6 full-time men)
since the 29 October conference, but that no work had. been started on
the AC power supplies.
3. The contractor was told that he appeared to be in serious
trouble on this program and that his progress toward remedying the
defects of the initial prototype had been most disappointing. HO
was reminded that during the Washington conference he had been told
of the operational urgency of this program and that any delay beyond
January would work a serious hardship on us. He was also reminded
that he had agreed at the Washington conference to send us promptly
a firm delivery date and an estimate of additional funds required.
sai revised development schedule called
en AS-3 prototypes, less AC power supplies, by
asserted that this was an "optimistic" date
would be made to meet it. As evidence of work
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/07/31 : CIA-RDP78-03330A004100080067-1
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/07/31 : CIA-RDP78-03330A004100080067-1
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4, replied that the time and money estimates had
been delayed in an attempt to provide figures as exact as possible,
and that all that remained now was to convert man-hour estimates into
dollars. He said. he felt that doubling the nuMber of men on the
program was sufficient evidence of the urgency with which was
attempting to satisfy our requirements. The AC power supply has
been ignored, he said, because I has concentrated on our
principal complaint - that of an unsatisfactory cartridge and coder.
He said that be had the impression from the Washington meeting that
we would be satisfied with battery-operated units at first, with the
AC power supplies to follow later. He was told. that while we did
not insist that the first AC power supplies be equipped with short-
circuit protection if it appeared that this was too great a design
job, we certainly expected an AC supply as part of each delivered
prototype.
5. The contractor was asked if any steps could be taken now
that would make* possible the delivery of two complete prototypes by
bruary 1959. He said that this was impossible, but that if we
advance delivery of two prototypes he had a 50-50 chance of
delivering them by 15 February 19590 with his present effort, and by
6 February if we would authorize overtime. This "50-50 chance assumes
that no unforeseen problems arise after assembly of the new coder and
cartridge:, He said that a "95$ probability" of successful delivery would'
be possible two weeks later, i.e., on 20 and 27 February 1959 respectively.
One of these sets would be the initial prototype modified to accept
the new cartridge and the other would be a new model furnished without
the AC power supply. The remaining eight systems would. be delivered
by 22 March 1959 with nine AC power supplies to follow about a month
later.
6. said that one week is all that could be picked
up with overtime authorization since only the model shop phase of the
program could be profitably accelerated. His engineering people,
be asserted: were already giving their best effort.
7. The redesigned cartridge appears greatly superior to the one
delivered with the initial prototype. It plugs into the transmitter with.
a positive latching action, and contains fewer parts than the original.
Since many of the cartridge troubles, such as tape slippage, resulted
from improper latching of the cartridge, it is believed that a significant
improvement will be obtained in cartridge performance.
8. With the help of , a mechanical engineer
recently assigned to the program, the 14s-3 coder has been completely '
redesigned in order to remedy the defects turned up in our evaluation.
A blueprint of the new coder was given to the writer and he was told
that some parts were now being fabricated and drawings for others were
being made up. The new coder is thesame size as the previous one, but
contains only half as many parts. Tolerances are mach less ceitical
and thicker key levers are used.
CONFIDENTIAL 0
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/07/31 : CIA-RDP78-03330A004100080067-1
? Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/07/31 : CIA-RDP78-03330A004100080067-1
CONFIDENTML
9. estimates that the cartridge and coder will be
ready for our inspection on 26 January 1959, and the next visit was
tentatively scheduled for that time although the contractor was urged
to advance this date if possible. requested that we
bring along a printer and receiver to allow a system test of the
complete receiving equipment. He agreed to place in the mail on
10_ December 1958 his overrun estimatel-and the revised verydates
Iii-.6;atragett7-6iywa with and without overtime authorization.
CONAZT1AL
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/07/31 : CIA-RDP78-03330A004100080067-1