BACKFIRE PRODUCTION FROM 1969 TO MID-1983, USSR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: NGA Records (Formerly NIMA)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP84T00171R000200980001-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 25, 2012
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: August 1, 1983
• Content Type: REPORT

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/25: CIA-RDP84TO0171 R000200980001-3
imagery analysis report
BACKFIRE Production
From 1969 to Mid-1983, USSR (S)
Secret
WNINTEL
Secret
Z-12080/83
IAR-0052/83
AUGUST 1983
Copy 45
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Warning Notice
Intelligence Sources or Methods Involved
(WN INTE L)
NATIONAL SECURITY INFORMATION
Unauthorized Disclosure Subject to Criminal Sanctions
DISSEMINATION CONTROL ABBREVIATIONS
NOFORN - Not Releasable to Foreign Nationals
NOCONTRACT - Not Releasable to Contractors or
Contractor/Consultants
PROPIN - Caution-Proprietary Information Involved
ORCON - Dissemination and Extraction of Information
Controlled by Originator
REL... This Information has been Authorized for
Release to ...
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SECRET
NOFOHN
BACKFIRE PRODUCTION FROM 1969 TO MID-1983, USSR (S)
1. This study has been prepared in response to recent concern within the Intelligence
Community that the BACKFIRE production rate may have exceeded 30 aircraft per year. (S/WN)
2. Premier Brezhnev, on June 16, 1979, handed President Carter the following statement:
"The Soviet side informs the US side that the Soviet TU-22M airplane, called BACKFIRE in the
USA, is a medium-range bomber, and that . . . it will not increase the production rate of this
airplane as compared to the present rate." Reports indicate that Premier Brezhnev verbally
confirmed that the Soviet BACKFIRE production rate would not exceed 30 per year.' (U)
3. To determine whether the Soviets exceeded the production rate of 30 BACKFIREs per
year, selected imagery has been reviewed in an attempt to establish the number and model of
BACKFIREs produced since the initial identification in 1969. Because the interpretability and
quantity of usable imagery has been substantially higher during the summer months than during
other periods of the year, only imagery acquired during June through July from 1969 to 1983 has
been examined. Since 1977, NPIC's confidence in monitoring BACKFIRE production and subse-
quent deployments has markedly increased with more frequent and usable coverage. The tables
in this report, based solely on imagery-derived analysis, provide NPIC's estimate of numbers of
BACKFIRE aircraft in the Soviet inventory on 15 July of each year. In this report, only BACKFIREs
confirmed on imagery are presented; however, some aircraft have been produced for structural
test purposes, and some have probably crashed. While crashed aircraft have not been included in
the cumulative totals, they have been accounted for as operational aircraft in the yearly totals
prior to the crashes. This report covers the period from 15 June 1969 to 15 July 1983. Included are
three annotated photographs, two tables, and two charts. (S/WN)
4. The earliest identification of specific
models of BACKFIRE aircraft was made at
Kazan Airframe Plant Gorbunov 22, the pro-
duction plant, or at the Flight Test Centers
(FTCs) at Ramenskoye and Akhtubinsk. The
next observations were at training airfields
(Nikolayev/Kulbakino and Ryazan/Dyagilevo)
and, finally, at operational airfields. Numbers
of BACKFIRE aircraft at the production plant,
at the FTCs, and at the training airfields have
generally remained constant after series pro-
duction has begun, while numbers of newly
produced aircraft at operational Soviet Strate-
gic Aviation (SSA) and at Soviet Naval Aviation
(SNA) bases have, as expected, continuously
increased. (S/WN)
5. One BACKFIRE A (Figure 1), the
prototype model, was initially observed at
Kazan Airframe Plant Gorbunov 22
Two additional BACKFIRE As
were subsequently observed at Ramenskoye
FTC in mid-1970. One was first observed at
Akhtubinsk FTC in April 1971. BACKFIRE As
have never been seen at an operational base;
however, two to six BACKFIRE As were at
Ryazan/Dyagilevo Airfield, the SSA training
base, from 1973 through 1981. Only seven
BACKFIRE As were produced, and all are
currently on static display (Table 1). (S/WN)
6. BACKFIRE B (Figure 2) was identified
in November 1971 at Kazan. This model has an
Z-12080/83 SECRET
25X1
25X1
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increased wingspan and is without the large
landing gear pods found on BACKFIRE As. A
BACKFIRE B was next observed at Ramenskoye
FTC in May 1972 and then at Akhtubinsk FTC
in September 1972. BACKFIRE B aircraft did
not deploy to the training bases until April and
May 1974, when BACKFIRE Bs were identified
at Ryazan/Dyagilevo Airfield and at Nikolay-
ev/Kulbakino Airfield, respectively. (S/WN)
7. The first operational deployments of
BACKFIRE Bs were to Poltava Airfield (SSA) in
July 1974 and to Oktyabrskoye Airfield (SNA)
in November 1974. The BACKFIRE B was the
first model to go into series production and is
still being produced. (S/WN)
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Table 1.
BACKFIRE Models Observed From
15 June 1969 to 15 July 1983
1969-
1970
A B
1970-
1971
A B
1971
1972
A
-
B
1972-
1973
A
B
1973-
1974
A
B
1974-
1975
A
B
1975
1976
A
-
B
1976
1977
A
-
B
A
1977-
1978
B C
A
1978-
1979
B
C
A
1979-
1980
B
C
A
1980-
1981
B
C
A
1981-
1982
B
C
A
1982-
1983
B
C
PLANT
Kazan Airframe PLT 1
Gorbunov 22
FTC
Ramenskoye 2
5
4
2
7
2
4
4
3
3
5
6
1
4
1
3
2
1
2
1
Akhtubinsk
1
1
1
1
2
1
2
5
3
9
7
4
2
4
2
6
1
6
3
SSA
Ryazan/Dyagilevo
2
2
3
2
3
5
4
6
1
5
5
5
2
3
5
2
4
3
4
3
4
6
Airfield (Training)
Poltava Airfield
2
9
15
19
18
19
20
20
3
15
15
2
17
Soltsy Airfield
8
18
18
20
20
20
18
4
Belaya Airfield
10
20
30
39
40
Anisovo Gorodishche
15
Airfield
Orsha Airfield Southwest (Maint)
3
SNA
Nikolayev/Kulbakino
3
3
3
2
4
4
8
5
14
Airfield (Training)
Bykhov Airfield
4
10
19
28
36
37
40
40
Oktyabrskoye Airfield
11
16
16
17
17
17
19
20
19
Alekseyevka Airfield
17
20
35
PLANT 1
1
1
2
9
3
6
5
9
6
8
3
7
6
5
9
7
5
6
11
FTC 2
6
5
1
2
SSA
2
5
2
12
5
19
6
28
5
41
5
49
3
65
2
74
6
78
18
79
27
SNA
3
14
23
28
40
49
61
78
94
102
MAINTENANCE (ORSHA)
3
MISCELLANEOUS
5
3
1
7
3
1
7
5
1
TOTALS 3
Cumulative Totals 3
"First identification of BACKFIRE A
Miscellaneous: 1975-77: BACKFIRE A were on static display at Moscow/Monino
1978-79: Same; plus an additional BACKFIRE A at Irkutsk Afld Southeast; BACKFIRE C destroyed by fire at Ramenskoye
1980: Same; plus one BACKFIRE A at Kiev/Zhulyany Afld, one BACKFIRE A at Achinsk AF East, one BACKFIRE B at Kaliningrad/Proveren (now at Kaliningrad Pionerskiy),
one BACKFIRE B at Kipelovo AfId, and one BACKFIRE B at Ramenskoye
1981: Same; plus one BACKFIRE A at Riga AfId West
1982-83: Same; plus two additional BACKFIRE As at Achinsk Afld East
1983: BACKFIRE B disassembled at Novosibirsk Scientific Institute of Aviation Sibnia. BACKFIRE B disassembled at Oktyabrskoye
3-
SECRET
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8. The latest model, the BACKFIRE C
(Figure 3), was first identified at Ramenskoye
FTC in August 1977. Observable differences
between the C and the B models include
modified air intakes and a modified nose
section. This same aircraft was also observed at
Kazan, but not until April 1978.
this prototype was destroyed by
tire at amenskoye FTC. Flight testing began
again in December 1978, when a new BACK-
FIRE C arrived at Ramenskoye. A BACKFIRE C
was first observed at Akhtubinsk FTC during
December 1979. Initial deployment occurred
in March 1981 to the SSA training base at
Ryazan/Dyagilevo and later, in June, to the
SAF base at Poltava. (S/WN)
IMAGERY ANALYST'S COMMENTS
Table 2.
BACKFIRE Production by Model
1969-70
3 (initially identi-
fied in Aug 69)
1970-71
4
4
1971-72
3
3
1972-73
8
8
1973-74
12
12
1974 - 75
15
15
1975 - 76
17
17
1976 - 77
16
16
1977 - 78
30
1
31
1978 - 79
18
4
22
1979 - 80
25
5
30
1980 - 81
23
8
31
1981-82
23
8
31
1982-83
13
17
30
*The total does not include a BACKFIRE fuselage (model undetermined), designated RAM-N,
which was only at Ramenskoye FTC
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9. Imagery acquired between 15 June
and 15 July of every year since 1969 of
BACKFIRE-related facilities has been reviewed
to establish the total counts of BACKFIRE
aircraft by model (Table 1). The following
facilities were included:
Kazan Airframe Plant
Gorbunov 22
Ramenskoye Flight Test Center
Akhtubinsk Flight Test Center
Ryazan/Dyagilevo Airfield
Poltava Airfield
Soltsy Airfield
Belaya Airfield
Anisovo Gorodishche Airfield
Nikolayev/Kulbakino Airfield
Bykhov Airfield
Oktyabrskoye Airfield
Alekseyevka Airfield
Orsha Airfield Southwest*
*This airfield has been a BACKFIRE maintenance
facility usually, two BACK-
FIRES are there being overhauled; these aircraft
were, however, listed/accounted for at deployed
airfields prior to July 1983. (S/WN)
10. The charts and table depict the yearly
production rate of BACKFIRE aircraft. Table 2
enumerates the models as well as the results of
analysis of the total number of BACKFIREs
produced yearly. Chart 1 depicts graphically
the BACKFIRE overall production rate from
1969 to 1983, while Chart 2 shows the BACK-
FIRE production rate by model during this
period. (S/WN)
11. Analysis of tables and charts in this
report indicates that there were four periods
when BACKFIRE production decreased from
the previous year's. The 1971-72 decrease
(Chart 2) was concurrent with the first identifi-
cation of the BACKFIRE B aircraft. A second
decrease occurred in 1976-77. This reduction
might be explained by a shortage of certain
parts, thus preventing production. The subse-
quent arrival of these parts would then explain
the sharp increase in production during
1977-78, when this postulated backlog of
BACKFIRE aircraft was rolled out of the plant.
A third decrease in production was apparent
during 1978-79. Again, the decrease in pro-
duction was concurrent with the identification
of a new model (the BACKFIRE C) and proba-
bly reflects the time required for plant retool-
ing to produce this new model. Finally, the
1982-83 production is slightly lower than ini-
tially expected, possibly the result of a
shortage of engines or other parts. At least six
BACKFIREs without engines were at Kazan
during the period from May through July 1983.
(S/WN)
12. The highest level of production for
the BACKFIRE Bs occurred in 1978. In subse-
quent years, this level of production has not
occurred again. While BACKFIRE production
decreased, the number of BACKFIRE Cs in-
creased, possibly indicating that BACKFIRE B
production is being phased out or reduced to
a level which would provide only for aircraft
replacements. (S/WN)
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13. According to NPIC's analysis, the
Soviets produced 122 BACKFIREs from July
1979 (the time of the Brezhnev statement) to
July 1983, a production rate of 30.5 BACKFIRE
aircraft per year. From 15 July 1982 to 15 July
1983, 30 BACKFIREs were produced. (S/WN)
14. Based on this study, NPIC is highly
CHART 1-
BACKFIRE BOMBER (TU-22M) PRODUCTION RATE
(AS OF 15 JULY OF YEAR INDICATED)
35
30
25
1 INITIAL OBSERVATION IN AUG 1969
2 PLANT BEGINS PRODUCTION OF BACKFIRE B
3 PLANT RETOOLS TO PRODUCE BACKFIRE Cs
AS WELL AS BACKFIRE Bs
CHART 2.
YEARLY BACKFIRE PRODUCTION BY MODEL
(AS OF 15 JULY OF YEAR INDICATED)
I
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30
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BACKFIREC
BACKFIRE A
confident that the Soviets have produced at
least 30 BACKFIREs in each summer-to-sum-
mer period since the Brezhnev statement of
1979. However, NPIC does not believe that the
number produced exceeded 31 in any one-
year period. (S/WN)
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SECRET
1. US Department of State. 0-295-168 Bureau of Public Affairs, Selected Documents No. 12, SALT II
Agreement, Vienna, 18 Jun 79, Washington: GPO 79 (UNCLASSIFIED)
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Secret
Secret
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