THE ELECTRON TUBE INDUSTRY OF THE USSR 1955-60

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• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 30, 2013
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: August 1, 1959
• Content Type: REPORT

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SECRET
ECONOMIC INTELLIGENCE REPORT
N? 87
THE ELECTRON TUBE INDUSTRY OF THE USSR
1955-60
CIA/RR 59-34
August 1959
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND REPORTS
SECRET
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WARNING
This material contains information affecting
the National Defense of the United States
within the meaning of the espionage laws,
Title 18, USC, Secs. 793 and 794, the trans-
mission or revelation of which in any manner
to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
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ECONOMIC INTELLIGENCE REPORT
THE ELECTRON TUP7 INDUSTRY OF TEE USSR
1955-60
CIA/RR 59-311-
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Office of Research and Reports
S-E-C-R-E-T
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Summary
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CONTENTS
I. Introduction
Page
1
3
A. Purpose and Scope 3
B. Organization of Production 1.
II. Production L.
A. Facilities 4
1. General
2. New Plants and Major Expansions 5
B. Estimates of Production 6
C. Trends in Product Mix 7
III. Trends in Technology 9
A. Quality of Products 9
B. Development of Products 10
C. Plant Equipment and Methods 11
D. Reliability of Electron Tubes 12
IV. Consumption of Electron Tubes in the USSR 12
A. Pattern of Use 12
B. Indications of Specific Programs 14
1. High-Power Radar 14
2. Frequency Coverage 14
Appendixes
Appendix A. Details on Key Electron Tube Plants
in the USSR 15
Appendix B. Methodology 25
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Page
Tables
1. Estimated Production of Electron Tubes in the
USSR, Selected Years, 1950-60
2. Product Mix for the Electron Tube Industry in
the USSR and the US, Selected Years,
1950-60
10
3. Distribution of Electron Tubes in the USSR,
by Sector of Use, Selected Years, 1950-60 . 13
4. Consumer Requirements for Receiving Tubes and
Cathode Ray Tubes in the USSR, Selected
Years, 1950-60
Quantities of Electron Tubes Available for
Consumer Use and for Military and Indus-
trial Uses in the USSR, Selected Years,
1950-60
27
28
6. Expenditures for Electronics for Military
and Industrial Uses in the US and the USSR,
1957 29
7. Requirements for Electron Tubes in Military
and Industrial Uses in the US, 1957 . . . . 30
8. Production of Electron Tubes in the USSR,
Selected Years, 1950-60 32
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Charts
Figure 1. US and USSR: Estimated Comparative
Growth in Production of Electron
Tubes, Selected Years, 1950-60 .
Figure 2. US and USSR: Estimated Percentage
Distribution of Electron Tube Value,
by Class of Tube, Selected Years,
1950-60
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1
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THE ELECTRON TUBE INDUSTRY OF THE USSR*
1955-60
Summary
The rapid expansion of production of electron tubes in the USSR,
which first became apparent in about 1950, has continued with only
a slightly diminished average annual rate of growth since 1955. The
total value in constant 1955 prices of electron tubes produced in
the USSR, estimated to have been US $92 million** in 1950 and $260
million in 1955, should reach approximately $553 million by 1960.
Estimates of both volume and value of current production are sub-
stantially higher than those which have been published previously.
The increase in production has been achieved through the installa-
tion of modern machinery in several new and enlarged plants, thus
resulting in a more efficient use of labor in the industry. Never-
theless, the USSR still is using relatively more hand fabrication
and hand assembly in production of electron tubes than is the US.
Although the percentage of electron tubes allocated to military
use in the USSR has declined gradually since 1955, the total value
of production of tubes for military use has increased from approxi-
mately $68 million-in 1950 to $160 million in 1955 and should reach
approximately $272 million by 1960. The allocation of more than $215
million for tubes for military use in the USSR in 1957 is slightly
more than the expenditure of $200 million for such tubes by the US in
that year.
Adequate quantities of electron tubes are believed to be avail-
able for industrial electronic programs in the USSR. The estimated
proportion of the value of total production devoted to cathode ray
tubes has increased from 5 percent in 1950 to 16 percent in 1958 and
will reach approximately 27 percent by 1960, reflecting the rapid
growth of production of television and radar equipment in the USSR.
A rapidly increasing quantity of tubes has been made available for
civilian radio and television receivers, although the original goals
* The estimates and conclusions in this report represent the best
judgment of this Office as of 1 April 1959.
** Dollar values are given in US dollars throughout this report.
The rate of exchange for electron tubes has been determined to be
7.5 rubles to US $1 in 1955. For methodology, see Appendix B.
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for production of consumer entertainment equipment* in 1960 have been
reduced considerably under the directives of the Seven Year Plan
(1959-65). This reduction is believed to have been brought about at
least partly as a result of Soviet failures to meet the original Sixth
Five Year Plan (1956-60) for production of electron tubes.
Although the original Sixth Five Year Plan called for production
of electron tubes in 1960 to be 2.6 times the level in 1955, the rates
of growth observed since 1955 indicate that this goal has been aban-
doned. Soviet production of transistors,** however, has been expand-
ing at a rate faster than that originally envisioned in the Sixth Five
Year Plan, a fact which suggests a deliberate policy directed toward
the increased use of transistors in many applications where electron
tubes currently are used.
The quality of Soviet electron tubes, in terms both of technical
characteristics and of reliability of performance, has improved sub-
stantially since 1954. Standard Soviet tubes are for the most part
equal in quality to Western tubes of similar types. There is evidence,
however, that in the category of transmitting and special-purpose
tubes numerous difficulties are still being encountered in quantity
production of critical items having the required reliability and per-
formance characteristics for use in military applications. Reject
rates reportedly are abnormally high in some categories of special-
purpose tubes.
Details of trends in production of electron tubes for specific
applications indicate that the USSR is now carrying into production
a variety of high-power and other special-purpose tubes which will
permit increased capabilities of weapons systems, including greater
radar range and resolution capability through lowered noise figures
in radar return amplifiers; more complicated and more effective equip-
ment for electromagnetic warfare and electronic countermeasures through
the use of wide-range, tunable magnetrons, carcinotrons, and other
types of traveling wave tubes; and greater capability of air weapons
in high-resolution air-intercept radar in the K and Q radqr frequency
bands and in precision doppler navigation systems. These develop-
ments will increase Soviet capabilities in both offensive and defen-
sive operations requiring aircraft and missiles. Details on Soviet
* Including civilian radio and television receivers and also phono-
graphs.
** Transistors are solid-state devices which are capable of duplicat-
ing a number of functions performed by electron tubes. The substitu-
tion of transistors for electron tubes in many applications is highly
desirable because of their miniature size, long service life, shock
resistance, and high efficiency.
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efforts to produce smaller and more rugged electron tubes are not
sufficient to indicate a trend, but there is evidence that the USSR
is under the same urgent pressures in this field as is the US.
I. Introduction
A. Purpose and Scope
This report provides an evaluated estimate of the current
status and future trends in production of electron tubes in the USSR.
In the USSR as in the US the value of production of electron tubes
is believed to exhibit a fairly close relationship to the total value
of production of the entire electronics industry.* 1/** In addition,
details of specific efforts in production of electron tubes provide
some evidences of the direction of Soviet choices in the larger area
of weapons systems.
This report derives total production of electron tubes in
both unit and value terms. The product mix is estimated according
to the following three main categories of tubes; receiving tubes,
cathode ray tubes, and power and special-purpose tubes. An estimated
allocation of these tubes by sector of use is provided. Information
on Soviet facilities for producing tubes has been included to pro-
vide detail on trends in new products and technology and to provide
some limited cross checks on the statements of the volume of produc-
tion obtained from official Soviet announcements.
* The electronics industry contains a very broad and diverse group
of products produced by that branch of electrical engineering which
deals with the passage of electricity through a tube, semiconductor,
or transistor by which means the flow of electrons is emitted, con-
trolled, and directed. Electronic products are found primarily in
the following equipment: sighting and fire control equipment; com-
puting and accounting machines; electric measuring instruments and
test equipment; radio and television receiving sets; radio and tele-
vision transmitting, signaling, and detection equipment; and elec-
tronic commonents and accessories.
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B. Organization of Production
Before the industrial reorganization of 1957 the responsi-
bility for design, manufacture, and distribution of all electron
tubes was assigned to the Ministry of the Radiotechnical Industry,
under the immediate control of the Main Administration for Vacuum
Techniques. Exceptions to this administrative control are believed
to have been limited to relatively minor schedules of production for
some types of industrial control equipment and X-ray tubes, plus
some prototype work done at laboratories not subordinate to this
Ministry. 2/
In December 1957 the Ministry of the Radiotechnical Industry
was abolished, and a State Committee for Radioelectronics was formed
and attached to the Council of Ministers, USSR. The new. State Com-
mittee is located in the quarters of the former Ministry, and the
former Minister of the Radiotechnical Industry, V.D. Kalmykov, was
appointed Chairman of the State Committee. The State Committee is
believed to be the central governmental body presently responsible
for establishing the technical and quantitative requirements for
electron tubes for the USSR, although very little information on the
functioning of this State Committee was known as of April 1959.*
II. Production
A. Facilities
1. General
Soviet facilities for manufacturing electron tubes have
continued a steady and rapid expansion in equipment and plant, al-
though the average annual rate of expansion since 1955 appears to
have decreased from the rate evidenced during 1950-55.** Official
Soviet photographs and press releases,
in-
dicate that the additional equipment installed in recent years is of
modern and efficient design. The trend toward more automatic
methods of production is apparent in the USSR as in the US
in ica es
** Calculated by value in terms of 1955 rubles. Estimated produc-
tion expanded during 1951-55 by 293 percent, whereas under the cur-
rent estimate that the original goal of producing 200 million tubes
in 1960 has been revised downward to approximately 153 million tubes,
the expansion during 1956-60 probably will reach only 224 percent.
For methodology, see Appendix B.
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that the USSR still is using relatively more hand fabrication and
hand assembly than is the US. Seven known machine design bureaus
and production shops concentrate on producing equipment for manu-
facturing electron tubes and electric lamps and support the Soviet
program for expansion and modernization of the electron tube indus-
try. A number of lesser facilities also are engaged to some extent
in the production of specialized machines designed by the electron
tube industry.
The installation of more modern equipment in new and
? enlarged plants reportedly has resulted in a significant improve-
ment in the efficiency of labor in this industry, creating the basis
for a large part of the gains in total production without significant
additions to the labor force.
Soviet production of electron tubes continues to be heav-
ily concentrated in five very large plants which produce approximately
90 percent of the total volume of production. Three of these plants,
located in the industrial areas of Moscow and Leningrad, have a com-
bined production of 45 percent of the total number of units. Addi-
tionally 35 ?ercent of production is accounted for by Electrovacuum
Plant Saratov, and 10 percent by the Novosibirsk Tube Plant. 50X1
The remaining 10 percent is produced in several plants of lesser im-
portance in L'vov, Tashkent, and in the area around Moscow. Although
this industry includes relatively few major plants, they are fairly
well distributed geographically. The construction of the Saratov
plant suggests that a planning feature may have been to decrease the
vulnerability of this industry to strategic air attack. This plant
is located approximately 20 kilometers (km) outside the city of
Saratov.
2. New Plants and Major Expansions*
Construction was started after 1947 on Electrovacuum
Plant which is believed to have begun operations between
January 1950 and December 1952. This plant probably did not begin
operating at full capacity before 1958, but by 1957 it had become
the main plant in the USSR for production of electron tubes, measured
in terms of units produced. Also it may be the largest plant in
terms of value of production.
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At Electrovacuum "Svetlana," Leningrad, all 50X1
manufacturing of electric lamps has been eliminated, and the plant
now concentrates solely on production of electron tubes. Svetlana
was reorganized in 1956, with an expansion program for the future
based on automatic equipment. Although in the past this plant
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has been hampered by space problems and poor layout, developments
indicate that Svetlana ranks as one of the largest electron tube
plants in the USSR.
An electrovacuum plant at Tomilino, Moskovskaya Oblast,
possibly in Moscow, reportedly have been converted 50X1
from other work or established to produce electron tubes. Plant
Zaprudnya, Moskovskaya Oblast, reportedly has initiated pro- 50X1
duction lines for cathode ray tubes to be used in television receivers.
B. Estimates of Production
The estimated volume and value of production of electron
tubes in the USSR during the years 1950, 1955-58, and 1960 are shown
in Table 1.* The growth in the value of production of electron tubes
in the US and the USSR during the same years is shown graphically in
Figure 1.** The use of more expensive television picture tubes has
increased the average unit value of tubes since 1950, and, as a re-
sult of more precise information, the estimated volume of production
is believed to be quite accurate through 1958.
As indicated in Table 1, the total production of electron
tubes tripled during 1950-55 and probably will double during 1956-60.
Although the goals of the original Sixth Five Year Plan called for a
tripling of production between 1955 and 1960, actual production dur-
ing the first 3 years of this period grew at an average annual rate
of only 13 percent. In spite of this apparent lag, all Soviet an-
nouncements of the results of annual plans through 1958 have stated
that the plans for production of electron tubes have been exceeded.
The USSR has not elaborated on this paradox and has not provided a
firm indication that the original goal has been revised downward.
In order to meet the original goal for 1960, however, an average
annual rate of growth of 35 percent would be required in 1959 and
1960. The announcements of planned production of consumer entertain-
ment equipment during 1958-65 imply that production in 1960 will be
well below the goals announced previously. Therefore, it is believed
that an unannounced downward revision in planned production of elec-
tron tubes has taken place and that the effect of this revision will
be felt most severely in the consumer entertainment sector. The
failure to maintain growth as originally planned could have been based
on the rapidly increasing rate at which the USSR now finds it can be-
gin to substitute semiconductors for electron tubes. This substitu-
tion requires a reallocation of facilities for the production of
* Table 1 follows on p. 8.
** Following p. 8, below.
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transistors.* A second factor contributing to the failure to main-
tain growth is the increased versatility of new types of tubes as a
result of the technological trend to place multiple units in a single
envelope. This versatility, in turn, causes rapid obsolescence of old
models.
Based in part on incomplete information on schedules of spe-
cific products and in part on analogy with US industrial patterns,
the analysis of production of electron tubes by function and use has
resulted in a production-value series which necessarily is more ap-
proximate than is the total unit series.
C. Trends in Product Mix
Data on product mix in the electron tube industry of the USSR
for 1950, 1955, 1957, and 1960 are provided in Table 2.** For com-
parison, similar US data are provided for 1950, 1955, and 1957. The
data in Table 2 are shown graphically in Figure 2.*** These data re-
flect the significantly increased share of effort devoted to the manu-
facture of cathode ray tubes in the USSR since 1950 -- an effort which
resulted from the rapid growth of production of television and radar
sets. The continuing high percentage of effort devoted to production
of transmitting and special-purpose tubes in the USSR is a measure of
the high-priority requirements of the military electronics programs
as well as the growing importance of such tubes in the industrial elec-
tronics program.
As shown in Table 1, the variety of electron tubes in the USSR
is weighted heavily in favor of the more expensive types of non-
entertainment tubes. The estimated average unit f.o.b. (free on
board) factory price for electron tubes was $1.46 in the US during
1955, contrasting with $3.40 in the USSR.**** As a result, the total
value of production of the Soviet electron tube industry is signifi-
cantly higher than would be indicated by comparing only the quanti-
ties produced in the US and the USSR.
The rapid expansion of television in the USSR during the last
few years has placed heavy requirements on the industry for televi-
sion picture tubes and reportedly has created a severe strain on the
electron tube industry. In 1950, production of television picture
* There is evidence that production of transistors is expanding
faster than was originally planned. The shift in emphasis in produc-
tion could result in a temporary dislocation of production which would
make it necessary to reduce the combined numbers of tubes and transis-
tors available for consumer use.
** Table 2 follows on p. 10.
*** Following p. 10, below.
**** The rate of exchange for electron tubes has been determined to
be 7.5 rubles to US $1 in 1955. For methodology, see Appendix B.
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Table 1
Estimated Production of Electron Tubes in the USSR 2/
Selected Years, 1950-60
Type of Tuue
Receiving tubes
Cathode ray tubes E/
Transmitting and special-
purpose tubes
Total
1950
Million
Units
20.8
0.08
4.3
25.2
1955
1956
1957
1958
1960
Million i Million Million / Million Million
Rubles 12/ 12/ 12/
Units Rubles 121 Units Rubles Units Rubles Ill Units Rubles Units Rubles 12/
358.1 65.5 1,029.0 76.4 1,217.3 83.2 1,355.4 94.1 1,512.2 132.2 2,077.3
32.6 0.77 277.0 0.93 338.3 1.08 392.6 1.29 467.9 3.35 1,190.5
275.2 10.3 648.1 12.3 781.8 13.7 873.1 14.6 922.7 17.4 1,104.6
665.9 76.6 14 954: 1 89.6 2,337.14. 98.0 2,621.1 110.0 2_..,-- 902 8 153.0 1,372.11.
-
For a graphic presentation of the data in Table 1, see Figure 1, follow-
a. For additional details, see Appendix B.
ing p. 8.
b. Factory prices of 1955.
c. Because of the heavy price weight of cathode ray tubes, unit computations are expressed to one additional decimal place.
d. Totals are derived from unrounded data and may not agree with the sums of the rounded components.
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US AND USSR
ESTIMATED COMPARATIVE GROWTH
IN PRODUCTION OF ELECTRON TUBES
(Selected Years, 1950-60)
Million current US dollars
US
;USSR
443
109
800 800
780
260
311
348
820
381
Figure 150X1
553
1950
1955 1956 1957 1958
Note: US data ore given in current US dollars. For an explanation of converting
the Soviet constant value 0( 1955 to current value, see Appendix C.
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tubes amounted to perhaps 15,000 units and was limited to small de-
partments in the Scientific Research Institute (Nauchno-Issledo-
vatel'skiy Institut -- NII) at Fryazino. By 1955, production 50X1
reached 550,000 units, produced at four separate plants. Probably
the expansion rate for television picture tubes was a principal limit-
ing factor in the rate of growth of television reception in the USSR
through 1956 at least. Additional facilities for production are re-
ported to be under construction or planned at two major Soviet glass-
bulb factories. Machinery of a more automatic design is being con-
structed, and attempts to purchase machinery from the West have been
noted.
III. Trends in Technology
A. Quality of Products
Detailed examination and analysis of representative Soviet
electron tubes produced between 1954 and 1957 reveals that although
these tubes frequently differ from US tubes of similar types both in
alloy-metal content and in processes, the techniques employed to con-
struct the tubes are similar to those in the US. The observed varia-
tions from US practice are compatible with the available supply of
raw and processed materials, the cost factors in Soviet industry, and
the development and production techniques that are available to Soviet
production engineers. Optimum performance of electron tubes is a
function not only of design and materials but also the processing of
the tube structure.
in the Soviet electron tube industry high-quality materials and ef-
ficient production techniques are used in the construction of most of
the tubes to insure maximum longevity and rated performance. Soviet
entertainment tubes are considered equal to comparable US entertain-
ment grade tubes. 2/ The Soviet press, however, on several occasions
has voiced severe criticism of the high rate of rejection in this in-
dustry.
in the manufacture of electron tubes, losses from re-
jects at the final testing stage alone amounted to 260 million rubles
in 1956. This loss represented 80 percent of the total loss from re-
jects of the entire electronics industry. Losses reportedly increased
during the first quarter of 1957, amounting in some cases to 13 to 15
percent of production. _V
the leading Soviet electron tube plants provide no
grounds for suspecting that large losses occur in the manufacture of
standard receiving tubes, 1/ nor is there reason to believe that the
rate of rejection is abnormally high for normal cathode ray tubes
for television sets. Losses are believed to arise chiefly in the
manufacture of transmitting and special-purpose tubes for military
purposes, a process in which a high rate of rejection is expected.
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Table 2
Product Mix for the Electron Tube Industry in the USSR and the US
Selected Years,
1950-60
Percent of Total Value
Country
Type of Tube
1950
1955
1957
1960
USSR
Receiving tubes
53.8
52.6
51.7
47.5
Cathode ray tubes
4.9
14.2
15.0
27.2
Transmitting and special-
purpose tubes
41.3
33.2
33.3
25.3
US
Receiving tubes
70
52
55
N.A-
Cathode ray tubes
4
29
22
N.A.
Transmitting and special-
purpose tubes
26
19
23
N.A.
B. Development of Products
Soviet development of electron tubes actually began to assume
large-scale proportions about 1948, although even after that time the
USSR continued the thorough exploitation of all known developments and
technology on electron tubes. f/ Soviet technology has continued to
improve and, among many other significant developments, has led to the
design and production of traveling wave tubes
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Developmental work is carried out in a number of important
plants and institutes. The most important facility engaged in initial
developmental work is NII located at Fryazino, and known as 50X1
the Institute of Vacuum Techniques. This institute is made up of a
number of divisions and sections and includes sections working on
cathode ray tubes, magnetrons, high-power and low-power klystrons,
and movable field tubes, as well as a section working on shock-
resistant receiving tubes having long life and high reliability.
Smaller subdivisions also exist at this institute to develop experi-
mental lots of tubes and to manufacture small lots of special-purpose
tubes. Many of the production problems arising in initial develop-
mental work are resolved by developmental sections which also are at-
tached directly to the Soviet electron tube plants. 22/
At the International Microwave Tithe Conference held in Paris
during May and June 1956, Soviet scientists reported the development
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US AND USSR
Figure 2
ESTIMATED PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION
OF ELECTRON TUBE VALUE, BY CLASS OF TUBE
(Selected Years, 1950-60)
100%
0%
70
4
26
US
RECEIVING TUBES
CATHODE RAY TUBES
SPECIAL TUBES
0%
100%
54
USSR
5
41
1950
100% 0% 0% 100%
52
RECEIVING TUBES
53
29
CATHODE RAY TUBES
14
19
US
SPECIAL TUBES
USSR
33
1955
1001:
014
55
22
23
US
RECEIVING TUBES
CATHODE RAY TUBES
SPECIAL TUBES
0%
100%
52
USSR
15
33
27854 8-59
1957
RECEIVING TUBES
CATHODE RAY TUBES
SPECIAL TUBES
0%
100%
48
USSR
27
25
1960
Note: US dote for 1960 is not available.
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of a new type of traveling wave tube. The tube was designated as
"Spiratron." The Spiratron was essentially a centrifugal type of
tube requiring no magnetic focusing. Although this type of tube had
to a certain extent been described theoretically in the West several
months before the meeting in France, credit for actual development
of the device has been given to the USSR. 11/ At that time the Soviet
scientists also presented a paper entitled Wide Tuning Range Milli-
meter-Wave Reflex Klystron Oscillators. Essentially, the paper de-
scribed a pair of tubes capable of tuning within ranges of 7 to 11
and 11 to 19 millimeters. The tuning range of klystrons at these
frequencies is a unique achievement. Although the tubes had an
operational life of only a few hours, the implications of their
future uses, particularly in missiles, are significant. The USSR
also indicated at the conference that its scientists were working
on a 5-megawatt pulse magnetron. 12/
It is
evident from the above illustrations that the USSR has progressed
in the past few years from a nation weak in the technology of elec-
tron tube devices to a level comparable with that of the West.
C. Plant Equipment and Methods
The Soviet electron tube industry is a composite of the old
and the new in plant layout, machinery, and methods. Soviet practice
has been to augment machinery where necessary to increase production
without destroying the old equipment, provided that the old equipment
may be modified to produce tubes with the desired technical qualities.
New machines usually are modified copies of Western machinery, with
modifications to simplify set-up time and to permit more automatic
features. Factory space in the older plants reportedly is cluttered
and overloaded with various types of equipment, and discontinuous
production procedures are often dictated by the poor layout of equip-
ment. Cleanliness in plants frequently is reported to be at a mini-
mum. 111/
The electrovacuum plant in Saratov is an example of a new
Soviet productive facility of modern design. It is highly mecha-
nized, and its production machinery is laid out for continuity of
operation. In general, the procedures at this plant are similar to
those of good US plants. Tubes when completed are stored provisionally
for from 3 to 10 days, after which time they are subjected to thorough
testing. This testing reportedly is equal to that for US military
specifications, and tubes passing this inspection are considered to
be equivalent to good US commercial types. 12/
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D. Reliability of Electron Tubes
to test the reliability of electron tubes,
this problem is believed to be receiving as much serious attention
in the USSR as in the West. An article by an official of the former
Ministry of the Radiotechnical Industry severely criticized the re-
liability of electron tubes as early as 1955. This official reported
that two-thirds of the defects in radio equipment were traceable
directly to failures of electron tubes. 1?./ More recently, criticism
has been leveled at the metallurgical industry for supplying poor
quality metals to an electron tube plant, resulting in tubes of non-
uniform quality. 12/
In addition to Soviet literature stressing the importance
of reliability of electron tubes, information has been cited also
on improvements in production machinery and processes and on observed
improvements in the qualities of sample tubes. Also reported re-
cently is the production of a family of receiving tubes with features
of design and process controls established to insure a high degree of
reliability of performance under exacting operating conditions. Tubes
with greater reliability would contribute significantly not only to
the reliability of the system in all communications and control ap-
plications but also would be of particular importance in early warn-
ing, fire control, and guidance systems for military programs of the
highest priority.*
IV. Consumption of Electron Tubes in the USSR
A. Pattern of Use
Total production of electron tubes in the USSR, by type of
tube, is shown in Table l.** Electron tubes are used throughout the
electronics industry for the manufacture and maintenance of civilian
radio and television sets, for the support of essential domestic com-
munications services and industrial operations,*** for the manufacture
of military electronic equipment, and for the,maintenance of military
* For details on Soviet electron tube plants, see Appendix A.
** P. 8, above.
*** The industrial sector of use is defined roughly to include all
electronic equipment not used directly for military purposes or as
consumer goods. The items in the industrial sector include equip-
ment for domestic communications, for radio and television broad-
casting, for industrial control processes, for signaling and auto-
mation, for medical use, and for computers, as well as instruments
for industrial and scientific measuring and testing.
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equipment and the supply of spare parts. The distribution of elec-
tron tubes by sector of use during 1950, 1955, 1958, and 1960 is
shown in Table 3. The impact of the demand of the growing civilian
sector for radio and television receivers is quite apparent, repre-
senting the requirements fpr initial production and also reflecting
the continued growth in demand for replacement of electron tubes.
Table 3
Distribution of Electron Tubes in the USSR, by Sector of Use 2/
Selected Years, 1950-60
Sector of Use
1950
1955
1958
1960
Million
Rubles
Per-
cent
Million
Rubles
Per-
cent
Million
Rubles
Per-
cent
Million
Rubles
Per-
cent
Civilian
Industrial
Military
Total
53.8
106.6
505.5
665.9
8
16
76
100
489.9
265.0
1,199.2
1 954 1
25
14
61
100
821.5
369.3
1,712.0
2 902 8
28
13
59
100
1,888.3
440.7
2,043.4
4 372 4
43
10
47
100
47-775/7 additional detail, see Appendix B, Table 8, p. 32, 50X1
below. Values are given in 1955 prices.
Although a slow decline in the proportion of electron tubes
allocated to military use is indicated in Table 3, this decline is
more than offset by the over-all increase in the value of production
by the industry. The total value of electron tubes allocated for
military use, measured in rubles of 1955, is estimated to have in-
creased from 506 million rubles in 1950 to nearly 1,200 million rubles
in 1955 and probably will exceed 2.0 billion rubles in 1960. This growth
represents an increase in production in 1955 compared with that in 1950
of approximately 137 percent and in production in 1960 compared with
that in 1955 of slightly more than 70 percent. The estimated alloca-
tion of more than 1.6 billion rubles ($215 million) to electron tubes
for military use by the USSR in 1957 compares with the figure of ap-
proximately $200 million for the US for that year. 1.Y This comparison
indicates that in 1957 the USSR required more electron tubes .by value
than the US to support a military electronics program only about 70
percent as large as that of the US. This fact is attributed to the
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lower reliability and shorter service life of the more expensive types
of special-purpose military tubes in the USSR. Finally, in spite of
the requirements for both military and civilian uses, an increasing
supply of electron tubes in terms of value is also being allocated for
essential industrial applications.*
B. Indications of Specific Programs**
1. High-Power Radar
Reports of developments of products and schedules for
production at Soviet tube plants, together with data from catalogs
published in 1955, indicate an intensive program for production of
electron tubes with high-peak-power applications. 12/ Work on pulse
magnetrons with up to 5 megawatts peak power and on pulse klystrons
with up to 30 megawatts peak power has been reported. More concrete
details on Soviet rectifiers, diodes, VHF (very high frequency) oscil-
lators, and modulators provide information which suggests the follow-
ing possible trends in Soviet high-power radar applications: (a) im-
proved VHF early-warning radars with greater power and probably more
precise pulse characteristics; (b) multi-megawatt VHF radars and
radar jammers, possibly for antimissile applications; and (c) multi-
megawatt microwave precision radars, possibly for longer range ground
control intercept and for missile guidance.
2. Frequency Coverage
To date, deployment of Soviet operational radar has indi-
cated a relatively narrow concentration in several selected frequency
bands. A broader frequency coverage of Soviet microwave radars in
the near future is suggested by the development of klystrons covering
wavelengths from 0.8 to 6 centimeters and by the development and pro-
duction of two families of traveling wave tubes covering wavelengths
from 7 to 12 centimeters and from 30 to 60 centimeters.
* For methodology, see Appendix B.
** For additional detail, see Appendix A.
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APPENDIX A
DETAILS ON KEY FLECTRON TUBE PLANTS IN THE USSR
A. USSR
1. Electrovacuum Plant
"Svetlana," Leningrad
"Svetlana," was founded in 1913 and is the
oldest electron tube plant in the USSR. In 1956, Svetlana was still
one of the two or three largest electron tube plants in the USSR.
Although the plant still is hampered by poor layout and inadequate
floorspace in the older buildings, the temporary structures used
immediately after World War II have now been replaced by new build-
ings constructed between 1950 and 1955. Some new Soviet machinery
for manufacturing tubes has been installed, although this plant re-
portedly still has a greater proportion of old equipment than newer
tube plants in the USSR. A reorganization was undertaken in 1956,
and a significant expansion program was scheduled for the future
through the addition of new automatic equipment.
The development of greatest industrial importance to Svetlana
probably was the removal of lamp manufacturing operations from the
facility, permitting Svetlana to concentrate on production of elec-
tron tubes. As of 1956, Svetlana was engaged in the development and
production of receiving tubes, including metal tubes, Soviet lock-in
tubes, and standnrd glass tubes, as well as the limited production Of
miniature tubes, mercury and gas-filled rectifiers and thyratrons,
small transmitting and special-purpose microwave tubes, medium-power
transmitting tubes, pulse radar tubes, large transmitting tubes with
ratings from 1 kilowatt to 250 kilowatts, and certain types of equip-
ment for making and testing tubes. Work is conducted on semiconductors,
and series production of transistor triodes was reported to have started
in November or December 1956.
Production of gas-filled tubes includes a series of large
mercury thyratrons for industrial applications, with current ratings
between 6 and 85 amperes, including types TR 1-6/15, TR 1-15/15,
TR 1-40/15, and TR 1-130/15; large ignitrons for electrification and
process rectifiers, including type 1-100/5000; and several gas-filled
and vapor-filled rectifiers and triodes for use in radar, communica-
tions, and industrial apparatus.
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The special-tube section manufactures Soviet reflex klystrons,
the Soviet version of US type 2C40 centimeter-wave planar triode,
several high vacuum diodes, and small power tubes, including types
GI-30 and GU-15) GU-29, GU-32, and GU-50. The principal application
of this group of tubes apparently is in military electronics, includ-
ing low-power radar sets.
The medium-power tube section manufactures types GK-71 and
GU-80 for communications transmitters and several pulse modulators
and oscillators for radar sets, including types GI-8, a 3.5-kilowatt
peak power pentode; GI-18B, a pulse triode rated at 300 kilowatts
peak power at 300 kilocycles or lower; and type GMT-83, equivalent
to US type 5D21.
The large transmitting tube section produces mainly high-
power water-cooled and forced-air-cooled tubes for broadcasting,
communications, and jamming transmitters in the medium-frequency
and high-frequency bands. These tubes include types GU-27B, GU-5B,
GU-10A, and GU-10RA, GU-12A, GK-3A, and GK-1A.
Information available pertinent to estimating the volume of
production at Svetlana includes the following:
a. Estimated employment of 5,500 persons in 1950, 6,500
in 1956 (5,000 laborers and 1,500 engineers and technicians), 8,000
in 1957, and 10,000 in 1959. Two shifts are in operation.
b. Production in 1956 reported to be 2.5 times that of
1950.
c. Receiving tube capacity in 1956 of 69 mount assembly
groups, each averaging 1,500 mounts per day, and with a grid depart-
ment capacity in excess of 75 million grids per year.
d. Production of 20 million tubes of all types in 1957
and a planned production of 30 million tubes in 1958.
e. Spot information on processing or exhaust rates for
specific types of transmitting and special-purpose tubes. During
1959, 1.8 million medium-power tubes and about 15,000 high-power
tubes are to be produced.
f. The value of plant production in April 1959 was about
50Mil1ion rubles per month.
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the continuing rate of ex-
pansion is limited by physical facilities. The rate of expansion
will be significantly less than that for the Soviet electrovacuum
industry as a whole. By comparing the expansion at Svetlana be-
tween 1950 and 1956 with expansions in over-all industry from 1950
to 1956 and with planned expansions from 1956 to 1960, it is con-
cluded that production in 1960 at Svetlana probably will not ex-
ceed 1.4 times the volume of production in 1956.
2. Moscow Electric Lamp Plant
"Melz," Moscow El/
Recent information, primarily from the Soviet press
indicates that the program for
manufacturing electron tubes at "Melz," is consider-
ably larger than described in previous intelligence reports. New
construction, amounting to about 100,000 square feet, reportedly
was underway in 1953. Some new manufacturing machinery has been
added, especially automatic lines for receiving tubes, fluorescent
lamp equipment, and cathode ray tube equipment. The major products
are subminiature and standard receiving tubes, cathode ray tubes,
incandescent and gas-filled lamps, refractory metals, and machinery
for special lamps. It is believed that the over-all effort devoted
to production of electric lamps at Melz still exceeds the effort
devoted to electron tubes.
Production of receiving tubes in 1956 consisted mainly of
7-pin and 9-pin miniature tubes; subminiature tubes in production
at least since 1953, including both filamentary and cathode types;
standard glass tubes; and a family of tubes designed and constructed
for critical environmental conditions to meet special requirements
for mechanical shock and for a specified operating life. The limited
information on product mix suggests that the receiving tubes produced
at Melz include a preponderance of the more costly types. This con-
clusion is supported by the relatively lower rates of assembly and
speed of evacuation reported at the plant.
The gas tube department is reported to produce photocells,
including four types of photomultipliers, voltage stabilizers, cold-
cathode rectifiers, rare-gas thyratrons, including type TG 1-0.1/1.3
and hydrogen thyratrons for radar modulator service. As of March 1956,
two types of hydrogen thyratrons were in quantity production, using
automatic exhaust machinery capable of finishing 500 to 600 tubes per
day, and three new types were in development at that time. One pro-
duction type is believed to be type TGI 1-400/3.5, a line-type modu-
lator switch, rated at 400 peak amperes and 700 kilowatts peak operation
at 20 microsecond pulse length and 50 pulses per second. The second
type may be type TGI 2-325/16, rated at 2,600 kilowatts peak opera-
tion similar to US type 5C22.
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The cathode ray tube department, established in 1946, pro-
duces various types of cathode ray tubes for television receivers
and for radar indicator service. This plant produces indicator
tubes for both the NepLun and the GYUIS-1-M radars. Production of
television picture tubes, initiated in 1953, has increased rapidly
and reportedly was about 440,000 tubes per year by 1957. Produc-
tion pinnned for 1959 is 700,000 tubes. The manufacturing program
in this department has comprised one of the major expansions at Melz.
Oscilloscope tubes produced at Melz include types 13L037, 13L054,
18LM350 18L047, 23LM34, 23L051, and 3111432. Production of television
picture tubes until 1956 consisted mainly of the round 12-inch tube,
type 31LK2B. Production of a 14-inch rectangular tube, probably
type 35LK2B, was begun late in 1955. A 21-inch rectangular tube is
currently produced in small quantities, but the major production
effort is devoted to 43-centimeter (17-inch) tubes.
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medium-size power tubes for communications equipment and pulse oscil-
lators for radar service. Types known to have been produced at Melz
have included a 500-watt modulator and type GI-1, the output tube for
the P-3 and P-8 radars.
Information available pertinent to estimating the volume of
production at Melz includes the following:
a. Employment of about 5,000 persons in 1950.
b. Labor productivity of 31,500 rubles per production
worker per year in 1957.
c. In 1956 an assembly rate for receiving tubes of 500
mounts per shift per 6-operator brigade for 50 brigades, resulting
in an annual output of about 12 million tubes.
d. Spot information on processing rates for specific
types of cathode ray and special-purpose tubes.
e. Production at the rate of 58,000 television picture
tubes per month in April 1959.
3. Scientific Research Institute (NII)
Fryazino 22/
NII is concerned
with the developmental and design activities at this facility.
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the institute is the primary scientific and technolog-
ical center for the Soviet electron tube industry. Production de-
partments are engaged in the manufacture of (a) receiving tubes,
including 7-pin and 9-pin miniature tubes, standRrd glass tubes,
subminiature tubes, and high-reliability, high-performance tubes;
(lb) cathode ray tubes; (c) microwave tubes, including klystrons,
traveling wave tubes, magnetrons, and antenna switches; (d) high-
vacuum power tubes, including pulse rectifiers, modulators, and
oscillators for radar service; (e) gas-filled tubes, including
hydrogen thyratrons; (f) semiconductor devices; and (g) vacuum tube
machinery and test equipment. Details since 1952 are limited, but
the available information suggests that much production consists
of new types, which, after being fully developed, are frequently
transferred to other Soviet plants for mass production.
planned at NII
Saratov in 1952.
a major expansion program,
was in fact established at the plant in
A new building
has been constructed at NII and was in partial operation by
1956. NII is now well equipped with excellent test equip-
ment and production tools and its engineerin and technical staff
is very large. in 1957 30 percent
of the employees had acquired engineering or technical educations and
that there were more qualified specialists than job opportunities.
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Some of the more advanced work underway in 1957 at NII
is briefly summarized as follows: 50X1
a. The development and possible production of a large
hydrogen thyratron for radar modulators, rated at 700 peak amperes
and 8.4 peak megawatts, at an 0.0014 duty cycle; this type includes
an internal. hydrogen reservoir, for long life.
b. A lead-shielded high-power pulse klystron, operating
at 350 kilovolts, with a reported peak output of 30 megawatts.
c. A high-power klystron operating at 20 kilovolts at
35 percent to 4o percent efficiency.
d. One-kilowatt CW magnetrons for the 3-centimeter and
7-centimeter bands.
e. A series of reflex klystrons, covering wavelengths
from 0.8 to 6 centimeters and from 5.5 to 60 centimeters.
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f. A series of traveling wave tubes, covering wave-
lengths from 30 to 60 centimeters.
g. Four types of traveling wave tubes, covering wave-
lengths from 7 to 12 centimeters, including a low noise preamplifier
tube, a voltage amplifier tube, and an output tube rated at 5 watts.
Series production of these tubes was estimated at 2,000 per month
in 1956.
h. A family of four high-reliability receiving tubes
in production, all having high performance ratings. Internal dimen-
sions are reported to be extremely small: 5-micron to 8-micron dia-
meter grid wire and 20-micron wire spacing; transconductance ratings
are from 18,000 to 45,000 micromhos. Life expectancy for these tubes
is reported to be rated at 5,000 hours average life and less than
2 percent failure at 1,000 hours.*
Production estimates for NII can be only approximate,
especially because it is known that a large proportion of the effort
is concentrated on design and development. Production at NII
in 1955 was estimated
have been approximately 1 million tubes of all types per month.
4. Electrovacuum
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Saratov 22/ 50X1
The first known reference to the plant in Saratov was a Soviet
press announcement of 23 August 1947, reporting that a plant was being
built in Saratov for the manufacture of tubes, lamps, and other prod-
ucts. A plant to produce machinery for manufacturing tubes was under
construction adjacent to the tube plant.
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ity in Saratov was established and personnel were being trained during
1950-52. After 1952, products of this plant are known to include
standard glass tubes and miniature receiving tubes, magnetrons, kly-
strons, TR tubes, and small transmitting tubes. Other products, such
as test instruments and electronic equipment, may be manufactured,
but no firm evidence of this is known. The plant is not believed to
be engaged in the manufacture of electric lamps. At Saratov, the de-
sign and production of machinery for producing tubes are conducted
in facilities which are not part of this enterprise.
* This development indicates that Soviet workmanship compared favor-
ably with some of the best work done in the West at that time. It
is extremely doubtful that tubes with these technical characteristics
are being produced with the life expectancy rating quoted. Similar
tubes produced in the West have life expectancies rated in hundreds
of hours instead of thousands.
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The tube plant is housed in a new building consisting of a
long structure with four lateral wings and is reported to have ample
space and good lighting. As of 1956 the enterprise was still in
process of considerable expansion, and a large amount of equipment
was yet to be added. Firm estimates of production at the SaratoV
electrovacuum plant are precluded by lack of adequate data; infor-
mation available pertinent to estimating the volume of production
at Saratov includes the following:
a. In February 1956, a competent observer estimated
that actual production amounted to 36 million receiving tubes per
year. This figure would indicate that this plant may now be operat-
ing at approximately half capacity.
b. Receiving tubes were being produced as early as
1952, and radar microwave tubes reportedly were being produced in
large quantities in 1953.
a rate of production in 1953 of several
'thousand tubes per month of each of the categories of magnetrons,
klystrons, and TR tubes.
c. German electronic engineers estimated that the plant
would have an eventual capacity of 6 million to 8 million receiving
tubes per month, with production concentrated on miniature tubes.
A total of 51 automatic grid winders was installed as of 1956.
d. Employment totaled 9,000 persons as of August 1956.
e. The value of production planned for 1960 is sched-
uled to be 17.55 times that of 1954.
The evidence suggests that this new facility has been de-
signed to become the major plant producing tubes in the USSR. Ap-
parently, the plant in Saratov had become a major plant by 1956
and by April 1959 had become the largest center in the USSR for pro-
ducing tubes.
It is estimated that in order for the USSR to meet the origi-
nal plan for 1960, the plant at Saratov must reach full capacity
operation and produce between 40 and 50 percent of total Soviet re-
ceiving tubes, plus a significant output of special-purpose tubes.
Production of this magnitude would require approximately doubling
the labor force of 1956 to a total of 18,000 employees.
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5. Other Electron Tube Plants in the USSR
Information on the older large tube plants at Tashkent and
Novosibirsk is insufficient to modify earlier intelligence esti-
mates.212/ Both enterprises continue to operate as important sup-
pliers of tubes.
Tashkent, produces types RR-11 and RR-200, believed
to be TR and ATR tubes. This evidence tends to confirm earlier
estimates of work at this facility on microwave tubes for radar.
Plans were drawn up in 1951 for large-scale production of 8-milli-
meter magnetrons, 22/ but there is no evidence that either the
Tashkent or Novosibirsk plant has initiated the production of tele-
vision picture tubes.
Since 1953 a significant number of Soviet tubes have been
noted bearing the trademark, "Diode," including standard glass
tubes, miniature receiving tubes, and silicon diodes. Although
there is no firm evidence to support an estimate of the size of
the plant, it is believed that this product mix would not be sched-
uled at a smAll facility, a new
tube factory was being completed in 1949 or 1950 near Kalinin; there
is a Kalinin near Tomilino, the location of an electrovacuum plant
which advertised for employees in Vechernyaya Moskva, 9 May 1950.
The trademark "Diode" may well be associated with the plant at
Tomilino.
believed to be in the Moscow area, manufac-
tures gaseous-conduction devices bearing the trademark EL. Products
are known to include barreters, discharge tubes, gas rectifiers, and
stabilizers.
The L'vov Electric Lamp Plant, L'vov, was established in
1950 and 1951. Equipped with mechanized lines and automatic process-
ing machinery, this plant has become one of the major producers of
incandescent and fluorescent lamps in the USSR. Production at the
plant in 1960 is scheduled to be three times that of 1955, and the
plant is expected to become the largest Soviet lamp plant. Probably
because of the large increase in planned production of television re-
ceivers, the plant began to manufacture cathode ray picture tubes by
1954. Production appears to be concentrated on the 43-centimeter,
70-degree rectangular tube with metal cone. The plant, with a re-
ported production of 350,000 cathode ray tubes per year in 1956, is
now an important supplier of cathode ray tubes to the Soviet tele-
vision industry. The plant was producing at a rate of 4o0,000 tubes
per year in April 1959. ly
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Evidence suggests that the large requirement for television
picture tubes resulted in the initiation of production lines for
cathode ray tubes at two of the major Soviet glass bulb plants,
in Moscow, and Zaprudnya, Moskovskaya
Oblast. El/
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APPENDIX B
METHODOLOGY
A. Introduction
Official Soviet statistics on the volume of production of elec-
tron tubes, undifferentiated by type, value, or use, have been used
to estimate the quantities of tubes produced during 1955-60. A
production index for the years 1940 and 1950-60 is available from
official sources and is amplified by announcements of fulfillment
of production plans for 1957 and 1958. .18_,/ These published announce-
ments of the volume of production generally are substantiated by
estimates of production derived from available details on individual
electron tube plants. The announcements have received general accept-
ance within the US intelligence community as the most reliable avail-
able statistics of total unit production of electron tubes in the
USSR. 22/ No information is available to indicate the revised goals
for electron tubes for 1958-65, but, based on the rate of growth
achieved in 1956-58, it is estimated that the original planned goal
of 200 million tubes will be underfulfilled by at least 45 million
tubes.*
B. Estimates of Production
1. Summary of Estimating Procedures
As stated above, the aggregate production series in units
was derived from official announcements, generally validated by
plant information. The annual requirements for electron tubes for
the consumer entertainment sector were estimated directly from of-
ficial Soviet data, and from these two sources a residual series
* See Table 5, p. 28, below.
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was derived representing the numbers of tubes available for military
and industrial uses.
The allocation of tubes by use within each category was derived by
estimating the requirements for each category of tubes when Soviet
sector value weights are assigned to a detailed US model. These
requirements were converted to percentage relationships to provide
an estimate of the unit distribution of Soviet tubes to military
and industrial uses. Estimates of value in rubles for tubes in
each category of use were then calculated by attaching representa-
tive ruble value weights for each category of tube to the US aver-
age price.
The following sections provide more detailed information
and the step-by-step procedures used in the derivation of the quan-
tity and value series.
2. Derivation of Estimates
a. Estimates for the Total and for the Consumer Entertain-
ment Sector
Based on known annual production of civilian entertain-
ment equipment plus the existing number of radio and television re-
ceivers and phonographs for 1950-60, requirements for initial produc-
tion of tubes and tubes for replacement for this sector were esti-
mated in unit terms. Calculations of value based on Soviet prices
were made in 1955 rubles and 1955 dollars. These data are provided
in Table 4.* The physical unit series for consumer entertainment
uses was subtracted from the annual total production series, leaving
a residual representing the quantities of electron tubes available
for the Soviet military and industrial programs. These data are
provided in Table 5.**
* Table 4 follows on p. 27.
** Table 5 follows on p. 28.
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Table 4
Consumer Requirements for Receiving Tubes and Cathode Ray Tubes in the USSR pi
Selected Years, 1950-60
1950 1955 1956 1957 1958 1960
Product
Million
Units
Million
US $
Million
Rubles
Million
Units
Million
US $
Million
Rubles
Million
Units
Million
US $
Million
Rubles
Million
Units
Million
US $
Million
Rubles
Million
Units
Million
US $
Million
Rubles
Million
Units
Million
US $
Million
Rubles
Receiving tubes
Radio receivers and radio-
phonograph combinations,
original production 12/
6.6
6.5
43.6
21:0
20.7
138.6
22.8
22.4
150.5
21.6
21.3
142.6
23.1
22.7
152.4
27.5
27.1
181.4
TV receivers, original pro-
duction 2/
0.2
0.3
2.7
8.4
10.7
115.0
10.0
12.8
137.0
11.9
15.2
163.0
15.4
19.7
211.0
34.0
43.5
465.8
Replacements required for
maintenance 21/
1.1
1.1
7.5
5.1
5.4
43.8
6.7
7.2
58.9
8.5
9.3
77.4
11.5
12.6
108.1
18.2
20.8
191.1
Total 2/
7.9
7.9
53.8
34.5
36.8
297.4
39.5
42.4
346.4
42.0
45.8
383.0
50.0
55.0
471.5
79.7
91.4
838.3
Cathode ray tubes 1/
TV sets, original production Bi
h/
II/
LI/
0.50
N.A.
N.A.
0.60
N.A.
N.A.
0.70
N.A.
N.A.
0.90
N.A.
N.A.
2.50
N.A.
N.A.
TV sets, replacements gl
II/
LII
1.11
0.05
N.A.
N.A.
0.08
N.A.
N.A.
0;10
N.A.
N.A.
0.10
N.A.
N.A.
0.50
N.A.
N.A.
Total 2/ g/
LI/
ill
LI/
0.55
21.8
192.5
0.68
27.0
238.0
0.80
31.8
280.0
1.00
39.7
350.0
3.00
119.3
14 0504 0
Grand total 2/
7.9
7.9
53.8
35.0
58.6
489.9
40.2
69.0
584.4
42.8
77.6
663.0
51.0
94.9
821.5
82.7
210.7
1a8,2
a. Values are given in 1955 prices. 20/ Unit production requirements were calculated from announced annual production and from plan data. Replacement requirements calculated on basis of tube
failure rates applied to total sets in use.
b. From a sample of 33 common radio receiver tubes, the calculated average price was 6.6 rubles per tube, and the ruble-dollar ratio was 6.7 to 1.
c. From a sample of 16 miniature receiving tubes, the calculated average price was 13.7 rubles per tube, and the ruble-dollar ratio was 10.7 to 1.
U. Annual weighted average of tube price and ruble-dollar ratio.
e. Totals are derived from unrounded data and do not always agree with the sums of the rounded components.
f. Because of the heavy price weight of cathode ray tubes, unit computations are expressed to one additional decimal place.
g. The most commonly used Soviet picture tube was used as average. The price was 350 rubles, and the ruble-dollar ratio was 8.8 to 1.
h. Negligible.
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Table 5
Quantities of Electron Tubes
Available for Consumer Use and for Military and Industrial Uses
in the USSR
Selected Years,
1950-60
Million Units
Sector of Use
1950
1955
1956
1957
1958
1960
Consumer
7.9
35.0
40.2
42.8
51.0
82.7
Military and industrial
17.3
41.6
49.4
55.2
59.0
70.3 2/
Total
25.2
76.6
89.6
98.0
110.0
153 12/
a. The distribution of electron tubes between sectors of use in 1960
will be affected to a degree by the introduction of transistorized
equipment. Present information does not indicate the relative require-
ments for transistors which will be experienced by 1960. To the extent
that transistors replace electron tubes in consumer entertainment
equipment, the number of tubes available for military and industrial
use will be greater than shown.
b. The original directives of the Sixth Five Year Plan (1956-60)
called for the production of 200 million electron tubes of all types.
Although no official revision of this goal has been announced, the
figures of plan fulfillment for 1956-58 indicate that a substantial
reduction in the plan has taken place. Based on official production
announcements through 1958 and expected increases in individual plants,
production of 153 million tubes for 1960 was estimated. This produc-
tion represents an average annual increase of 15 percent since 1955.
b. Allocation of Electron Tubes for Military and Industrial
Use, by Tube Category
The residual quantities of tubes obtained as described
above, representing the numbers available for the combined military
and industrial electronics sectors, were distributed by the following
method:
(1) In the electronics industry of the US, the mili-
tary and industrial equipment sectors use receiving tubes, cathode
ray tubes, and transmitting and special-purpose tubes in different
proportions. Changes in levels of production of these sectors (with
a constant product mix maintained within each sector) which result in
changes in the sector ratios will change the proportions and the ab-
solute numbers of tubes required in the economy. Under conditions of
similar state of the art and similar product mix within each sector,
the distribution of electron tubes can be estimated for different sec-
tor value ratios. The above is shown in Tables 6 and 7.*
* Tables 6 and 7 follow on pp. 29 and 30, respectively, below.
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Table 6
Expenditures for Electronics
for Military and Industrial Uses
in the US and the USSR 2/
1957
Sector
of Use
US
USSR
Billion $
Percent
Billion Rubles
Percent
Military
Industrial
Total
3.9
1.3
5.2
75
25
100
14.9
3.3
18.2
82
18
100
a.
(2) In Table 7 the known distribution of electron
tubes in the US electronics industry for 1957 is shown in columns 1
and 2. This distribution occurred when the total expenditures for
electronics for military and industrial uses in the US amounted to
$5.2 billion, as shown in Table 6. The ratio of military expendi-
tures to the industrial expenditures was 3 to 1. The first calcula-
tion was carried out under the assumption that the combined level of
production for military and industrial electronic equipment would
remain the same but that the ratio of sector values would become
4.52 to 1, to be equal to the Soviet ratio. This ratio applied to
$5.2 billion yields value levels of $4.26 billion for the military
equipment sector and $0.94 billion for the industrial sector.
(3) From information contained in Tables 6 and 7, it
is seen that 36 million receiving tubes are used by the US military
sector in the production of equipment valued at $3.9 billion, or
.0092 receiving tubes per dollar. At the assumed value of $4.26 bil-
lion for the military equipment sector, the implied requirement for
receiving tubes is calculated at 39.3 million tubes. This calcula-
tion is carried out for each type of tube for both the military and
industrial equipment sectors and entered in column 3 of Table 7.
These unit relationships are converted to percentage terms (column 4)
to permit their use as analog data in the Soviet model.
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Table 7
Requirements for Electron Tubes in Military and Industrial Uses in the us
1957
(1) (2)
(3) (4)
Type of Tube
Category
of Use
Distribution 2/
Requirements 12/
Million
Units
Percent
of Total
Units
Million
Units
Percent
of Total
Units
Receiving tubes
Military
36.0
60.3
39.3
68.1
Industrial
5.3
9.0
3.8
6.6
Combined
41.3
69.3
43.1
74.7
Cathode ray tubes 2/
Military
0.16
0.27
0.17
0.30
Industrial
0.14
0.23
0.10
0.20
Combined
0.30
0.50
0.27
0.50
Transmitting and special-
Military
3.6
6.0
3.9
6.8
purpose tubes
Industrial
14.4
24.2
10.4
18.0
Combined
18.0
30.2
14.3
24.8
Total
59.6
100
57.7
100
..-,-.....,.
7.7 The distribution shown corresponds to
actual expenditures for military electronic equipment of $3.9 billion and for industrial elec-
tronic equipment of $1.3 billion, or a sector value ratio of 3 to 1.
b. Derived as explained in text, p. 29, above, by applying the USSR 1957 sector value ratio of
4.52 to 1 to obtain the implied requirements for total tubes and for the three tube categories
by sector of use.
c. Because of the heavy price weight of cathode ray tubes, unit computations are expressed to
one additional place.
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()-i-) The percentage distribution derived in column 4
of Table 7 is then used to allocate the total number of tubes in the
USSR. The unit distribution so derived for the years 1950, 1955-58,
and 1960 is shown in Table 8.* The assumption of comparability be-
tween the state of the art in the US and in the USSR, which is neces-.
sary to this procedure, rapidly becomes more tenuous the further the
series departs in time from 1957. The estimates for the years 1950
and 1960, therefore, must be considered to be only approximations.
In 1950 the Soviet electronics industry was much less comprehensively
developed than the US industry, and there is growing evidence that by
1960 revolutionary changes in the state of the art will lead to greatly
modified patterns of use of electron tubes in both the US and the USSR.
(5) Estimates of the value of tubes used in the con-
sumer entertainment sector are explained in the footnotes to Table 4.
Estimates of the value of Soviet military and industrial electron
tubes were derived by using US analog data on average prices of each
category of tube in each sector, then applying ruble-dollar ratios
calculated from Soviet price catalogs and US manufacturers' data.
The US average factory shipping price for receiving tubes for both
military and industrial uses was $2.36, and the ruble-dollar ratio
was calculated at approximately 10 to 1. For cathode ray tubes the
average price Was $60.00 per tube for military shipments and $2)4..00
per tube for industrial shipments, and the ruble-dollar ratio for
both types was 8.8 to 1. For transmitting tubes and special-purpose
tubes the average price was $30.60 for military tubes and $4.40 for
industrial tubes, and the ruble-dollar ratio for tubes in both uses
was 5.46 to 1.
C. Check on Unit Production from Tube Plant Information
Some detailed information on production of electron tubes by in-
dividual plants is available for recent years and may serve as a very
rough check on the total numbers of units claimed in Soviet official
announcements. The announcements are imprecise, however, because
(1) they are not available over the range of plants for the same
year -- therefore, outputs of different plants for different years
often have to be added to get a total; (2) they are often casual
observations, and, although they are made by experienced technicians,
they lack precision; and (3) they are often based on total capacity
rather than actual current output. Nevertheless, it is considered
to be worthwhile to relate detail of plant production to the aggre-
gate production estimate wherever possible. In this report, details
on the activity of major tube plants during 1956-58 and also new data
available indicate a total production of 85 million tubes.** This
Table 8 follows on p. 32.
** For details of this discussion, see Appendix A.
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Table 8
Production of Electron Tubes in the USSR 2/
Selected Years, 1950-60
Type of Tube
and Sector of Use
1950
1955
1956
1957
1958
1960
Million
Units
Million
US $
Million
Rubles
Million
Units
Million
US $
Million
Rubles
Million
Units
Million
US $
Million
Rubles
Million
Units
Million
US $
Million
Rubles
Million
Units
Million
US $
Million
Rubles
Million
Units
Million
US $
Million
Rubles
Receiving tubes
Civilian use
7.9
7.9
53.8
34.5
36.8
297.4
39.5
42.4
346.4
42.0
45.8
383.0
50.0
55.0
471.5
79.7
91.4
838.3
Military use
11.8
27.9
278.4
28.3
66.8
667.9
33.6
79.3
793.0
37.6
88.7
887.4
40.2
94.9
948.7
47.9
113.0
1,130.4
Industrial use
1.1
2.6
25.9
2.7
6.4
63.7
3.3
7.8
77.9
3.6
8.5
85.0
3.9
9.2
92.0
4.6
10.9
108.6
Total
20.838.4
358.1
65.5
110.0
1,029.0
76.4
129.5
1,217.3
83.2
143.0
1,355.4
94.1
159.1
1,512.2
132.2
215.3
2,077.3
Cathode ray tubes 1./
Civilian use
2/
2/
Ei
0.55
21.8
192.5
0.68
27.0
238.0
0.80
31.8
280.0
1.00
39.7
350.0
3.00
119.3
1,050.0
Military use
0.05
3.0
26.4
0.12
7.2
63.4
0.15
9.0
79.2
0.17
10.2
89.7
0.18
10.8
95.0
0.21
12.6
110,9
Industrial use
0.03
0.7
6.2
0.10
2.4
21.1
0.10
2.4
21.1
0.11
- 2.6
22.9
0.11
2.6
22.9
0.14
3.4
29.6
Total
0.08
3.7
32.6
0.77
31.4
276.5
0.93
38.4
338..3
1.018
44.6
392.6
1.29
53.1
467.9
3.35
135.3
1,190.5
Transmitting and special-
purpose tubes
Military use
1.2
36.8
200.7
2.8
85.7
467.9
3.4
104.0
567.8
3.8
116.3
635.0
4.0
122.4
668.3
4.8
146.9
802.1
Industrial use
3.1
13.6
74.5
7.5
33.0
180.2
8.9
39.2
214.0
9.9
43.6
238.1
10.6
46.6
254.4
12.6
55.4
302.5
Total
4.3
50.4
275.2
10.3
118.7
648.1
12.3
143.2
781.8
13.7
159.9
873.1
14.6
169.0
922.7
17.4
202.3
1,104.6
.-
Grand total 1/
25.2
92.5
662,2
76.6
260.1
1422;1
2:1;
311.1
98.0
347.5
2a1,1
'lox
381.3
,2290.1322
,12.34
5,52.9
4,372.4
,2b,23.121,
a. Values are given in 1955 prices.
b. Because of the heavy price weight of cathode ray tubes, unit computations are expressed to one additional decimal place.
c. Negligible.
d. Totals are derived from unrounded data and may not equal the sums of the rounded components.
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estimate excludes production at the plants in Tashkent and Livov and
at a few relatively minor additional plants for which recent informa-
tion is not available. Information on these plants had indicated
production of a total of 20 million tubes per year by 1956. The
grand total of approximately 105 million tubes per year is consistent
with Soviet announcements of production in 1957 and 1958. Details on
the production schedules for individual classes of tubes are extremely
fragmentary, and only for television picture tubes is there sufficient
information to permit an estimate of production by this means. Re-
ported production of cathode ray tubes for television receivers in
the two plants which produce the greatest proportion of this type of
tube reached a level of 790,000 tubes by 1957, with an additional num-
ber of such tubes reportedly produced in at least three other minor
plants.* The estimated Soviet requirement for this type of tube for
1957 was approximntely 1 million tubes. Although checks on other
categories of production of electron tubes are not available at this
time, future possibilities for such analysis may exist through the
scientific and technical exchange program.
D. Check of Estimated Value
Information published in the Soviet press criticizing the rate of
rejection in production of electron tubes contains figures which
point to the great emphasis on production for military purposes in
the electronics industry. A ministerial document of May 1957 showed
that, in 1956, losses from rejection in the manufacture of "electro-
vacuum components" (electron tubes) at the final testing stage alone
amounted to 260 million rubles, or 80 percent of the total loss from
rejection in the whole electronics industry. 211/ The losses reportedly
increased during the first quarter of 1957, amounting in some cases to
13 to 15 percent of production. It was implied that the rate of re-
jection in the industry for 1956 was about 10 to 12 percent. This
rate of rejection would suggest that the total value of production in
the industry in that year was between 2.15 billion and 2.60 billion
rubles. The estimated value of electron tubes derived in this report
lies at approximately the midpoint in this range and is considered to
be reasonably well confirmed by the document cited.
E. Comparison of Levels of Production of Electron Tubes
in the US and the USSR
The value series for production of Soviet electron tubes shown
. in Table 8** was calculated in terms of constant 1955 rubles and con-
stant 1955 dollars as indicated in the text. Comparative data on the
* For details of this discussion, see Appendix A.
** P. 32, above.
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.value of US production during these years are available only in terms
of current US prices. In order to establish comparability between
these two sets of data, it was necessary to adjust the Soviet time
series, where appropriate. Of the 4. years selected for comparison
of value of estimated Soviet production, 1950 was the only year which
was adjUsted to reflect price levels different from those of 1955.
No significant changes in the prices of Soviet electron tubes are
known to have occurred during 1955-58. The estimate for 1960 was
unchanged, as there is at present no information which would indicate
that a price change is contemplated or is likely to occur by 1960.
Changes in price, which occurred between 1950 and 1955, affected
electron tubes as well as other electronic products. Prices of elec-
tron tubes were reduced 20 percent in 1950 and 15 percent in 1954. 12/
Because the change in prices in 1950 occurred in the early part of
the year, probably in January, only the 15-percent reduction of 1954
was Used to adjust the estimate for 1950 so as to reflect prices in
1950.
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