MILITARY NEWS: RADIATION RECONNAISSANCE BY HELICOPTERS, BY CAPTAIN G. STARIKOV

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80T00246A029400680001-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 11
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 13, 2012
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: March 20, 1962
• Content Type: MEMO

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A SE
ET
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
WASHINGTON 25. D. C.
2 0 MAR 1962
SUBJECT . MILITARY NEWS: "Radiation Reconnaissance by
Helicopters", by Captain G. Starikov
1. Enclosed is a verbatim translation of an article which
appeared in the Soviet Ministry of Defense publication Collection
of Articles of the Journal Military News.(Voyennyy Vestnik .
This publication is classified SECRET by the Soviets, and the
.issue in which this article appeared was distributed to officers
from regimental commander upward.
2. In. the interests of protecting our source, this material
should be handled on a need-to-know, basis within your office.
Requests for extra copies of this report or for utilization of
any part of this document in any other form should be addressed
to the originating office.
50X1-HUM
I
CSDB-3/649,387
Richard Helms
Deputy Director (Plans)
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SE MIX ET
Original: The Director of Central Intelligence
cc: Military Representative of the President
Special Assistant to the President for
National Security Affairs
The Director of Intelligence and Research,
Department of State
The Director, Defense Intelligence Agency
The Director for Intelligence,
The Joint Staff
The Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence,
Department of the Army
The Director of Naval Intelligence
Department of the Navy
The Assistant Chief of Staff, Intelligence
U. S. Air Force
The Director, National Security Agency
Director, Division of Intelligence
Atomic Energy Commission
Chairman, Guided Missiles and Astronautics
Intelligence Committee
The Deputy Director of Central Intelligence
Deputy Director for Intelligence
Assistant Director for National Estimates
Assistant Director for Current Intelligence
Assistant Director for Research and Reports
Assistant Director for Scientific Intelligence
Director, National Photographic Interpretation Center
SE ET
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CSDB .3/649, 387
SUBJECT : MILITARY NEWS: "Radiation Reconnaissance by
Helicopters , by Captain G. Starikov
DATE OF INFO: January 196].
APPRAISAL OF
CONTENT a Documentary
SOUR : A reliable source (B).
Following is a verbatim translation of an article entitled
"Radiation Reconnaissance by Helicopters", by Captain O. Starikov.
This article appeared in Issue No. 34, 1961 of the Soviet military
publication Collection of Articles of the Journal Milita News
(Voyen yy Vestnik . This publication is classified SECRET by the
Soviets and is published by the USSR Ministry of Defense.
According to the Preface, Issue No. 34 was sent for typesetting
on 14 December 1960 and released to the printer on'25 January 1961.
The Preface states that articles express1the opinions of their authors
and are published as a form of discussion. Distribution of Issue No. 34
was to officers from regimental commander upward.
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CSnB-3/649,387
Radiation Reconnaissance by Helicopters
by
Captain G. Starikov
The speedy reception of data on the radiation situation is only
possible as a result of well-organized reconnaissance by all means.
It is scarcely possible to carry out this task by utilizing only
chemical and radiation subunits. Therefore, it is necessary to use
M-1 and ME-4 helicopters for this purpose in every possible way.
A series of flights by reconnaissance scouts in NI-4 helicopters
was carried out in the Northern Group of Forces in Mrch 1960 for the
purpose of finding the best methods of conducting radiation
reconnaissance from the air.
Before the reconnaissance scout flights were carried out, courses
were conducted at which the tactics of conducting radiation
reconnaissance from the air, visual and topographical orientation,
the methods of evaluating the radiation level, etc., were studied.
Experience shows that NI-4 helicopters may be used widely for the
radiation reconnaissance of the paths of a radioactive cloud, large
water obstacles, movement routes, and areas of troop disposition.
We included in the crew of the helicopter a section commander and one
or two chemists-dosimeter operators who were supplied with an R-105
radio set, a DP-1V roentgenometer with attachment (pristavka), a
t'-ll-B radiometer, DS-50 dosimeters, a chemical reconnaissance
instrument, protective equipment, set of indicators (ukazka), and a
stopwatch.
Having received the task of conducting aerial radiation
reconnaissance, the commander of the chemical and radiation
reconnaissance subunit, together with the helicopter crew, studies the
route of flight, determines the extent of the route, and determines
the time required for the flight; they establish the speed and the
altitude of the flight, landmarks, the method of communication of the
patrol with the crew during the flight, and also coordinate times of takeoff
and return to the airfield. Preparations for a flight usually take
not less than one hour.
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After working" out -the problems' of coordination, the section
commander sets the task to the personnel, and then reports to the crew
chief (komandir ekipazha)'on the-readiness for reconnaissance and
places the personnel and the instruments in the helicopter cockpit.
according to the latter's instructions.
With the normal fueling of a helicopter, the R-105 radio set
is placed in the left forward corner of the helicopter cockpit and
is fixed to the side wall by straps. The radio set's-antenna is led
outside, but in order to increase the radius of action it is best to
connect it to the helicopter's antenna The section commander must
have a map with a scale of 1:100,000 or 1:50,000 with the route
marked on it.
If the sector contaminated with radioactive substances is located
-at a distance of 25 to 30 km from the airfield, the dosimetric
instruments are switched on immediately on takeoff of the helicopter.
The chemist-dosimeter operator takes the readings of the instruments,
converts them to radiation levels on the terrain by means of a slide
rule and enters the data obtained on a special form which shows the
number, of the landmark and the radiation level on the terrain. The
section commander marks the points of the determined radiation levels
on his map and transmits them by radio to the command post. (KP) of
his unit. After appropriate training the personnel convert. the
instrument readings very quickly to the corresponding values of
radiation levels on the ground (0.7 to 0.8 m above ground level).
Therefore, after the thorough training of the personnel, the patrol may
consist of. the section commander and one chemist-dosimeter operator.
When conducting aerial radiation reconnaissance great help in
visual orientation is provided by the navigator who gives a signal
with a siren on approaching every landmark. Radiation levels are
measured, as a general rule, over the'landmarks, which are marked at
a distance of 1.5 to 3 km from each other. This distance is covered
by the helicopter in one minute (at a speed of 120 km/h). If the
personnel are well trained, it is also possible during that time to
take instrument readings between the landmarks as well.
For communication with the patrol, an R-105 radio set is
installed at the KP which has detailed it. The radio set is linked
to the ten-meter' telescopic antenna of the R-104 radio set. As a
result, the range of radio communication is greatly increased.
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.CSDB-3/649, 387
If, in case of great distance, radio communication is interrupted,
the helicopter climbs to an altitude of 400"to 60cm at established
points in order to transmit the reconnaissance data. Then the
helicopter continues to fly along the specified route at the specified
height. The reconnaissance data on radiation levels at established
points of the route may also be transmitted through the helicopter's
radio set.
The chief of the chemical service or his assistant is located
at the KP and receives data from one or several helicopters. He
marks these data on a map, processes them and passes them on
immediately to the commander of the unit (large unit). After the
return of the patrols the aerial radiation reconnaissance data are
amplified.
The radiation reconnaissance of the paths of a radioactive cloud
and groups of clouds is assuming very important significance. One
of its main tasks is the determination of the direction of the axis
of the radioactive cloud path. The task can be resolved successfully
if the place of the nuclear burst and the speed and direction of wind
are known beforehand. On the basis of these data, the helicopter
flight route is determined and the landmarks are prescribed. At the
borders of the expected radioactive contamination sector the entry
landmark is prescribed and the control landmarks are assigned after
each 1.5 to 2 km along the route of flight; an exit landmark is
prescribed at the exit from the contamination zone.
With a view to economy of time, it is advisable to conduct
radiation reconnaissance of the routes of movement or of the areas of
troop concentration along the directions intersecting the radioactive
cloud trail at 900 turns (Sketch 1). In order to determine the nature
of radioactive contamination more accurately, one may fly the
helicopter along the cross sections of the path. When approaching
the entry landmark, the navigator gives a signal with a siren. Such
signals are given when passing each control landmark, i.e., after
every 1.5 to 2 km.
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H-OTT ~-w
1000 hours 15.3 A
Orienting
points
Sketch 1
Reconnaissance of a Radioactive Cloud Trail by one Helicopter
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CSDiB-3/E49, 387
Sometimes radiation levels. will vary greatly along the. movement
route of the helicopter. Then,.one can fix only the beginning of the
contamination (0".5 roentgen/hour,.), the maximum radiation level, and
the end of contamination. It is most :important in this case to
establish and-.mark accurately on the map-the maximum radiation level
each time the path of the radioactive cloud is crossed, so as to
determine the direction of the path.
For the reconnaissance of the path of a radioactive cloud of a
surface atomic burst with a yield of fifty thousand tons (the ground
zero of the burst was at a distance of 80 km from the airfield) we
first used an MI-4 helicopter. The total extent of the route along
a broken line amounted to 530 km.
When preparing the helicopter, an additional fuel tank of
300 liters was placed in its cockpit. With such a fuel supply, the
flight range of the helicopter is increased up to 300 to 320 km one way.
The total time taken to fly to the entry landmark, the flight along
the route, and the return to the airfield amounted to about four hours.
When using two MI-4 helicopters (Sketch 2), the route was
divided into two parts. The helicopters left simultaneously and spent
about two hours on the radiation reconnaissance. Moreover, complete
information on the radiation situation was already received one and a
half hours after the helicopter started. Thus, for a more rapid
execution of the task of radiation reconnaissance in the radioactive
cloud path zone, two MI-4 helicopters should be.,used.
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H-loam
1230 (hours) 15.3
landing
Landing
field
Sketch 2
Reconnaissance of a Radioactive Cloud Trail by Tw'o.Helicopters
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"'' SEZSRET
CSDB-3/649,387
During the flight of the helicopters,. especially in the first
hours following a surface atomic burst, careful watch should be kept
so that the helicopter does not find itself under the radioactive
cloud.
In case of several surface atomic bursts, it is not possible to
determine the configuration of the contaminated zone or the radiation
levels by the calculation method. Therefore, a preliminary evaluation
of contamination is first of all carried out by a WA helicopter and
those zones where troops are likely to be in operation soon are
earmarked for reconnaissance. The assignment of landmarks, the
procedure for conducting reconnaissance, and the transmission of data
by radio remain the same as in the case of conducting radiation
reconnaissance of the path of a single surface burst. (Sketch 3)
Sketch 3
Reconnaissance of a Radioactive Contamination Zone
of Several Surface Nuclear Bursts
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CSDB-3/611.9, 387
One should, nevertheless, take into account that in actual
conditions the radiation reconnaissance of the whole path of surface
nuclear bursts will not always be carried out. In the main, the
command will be interested in the radiation situation on the routes
of troop movements, at broad water obstacles, and in areas of troop
concentration.
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