COMPONENTS, PRODUCTION, AND DEPLOYMENT OF THE SOVIET BIG BACK RADAR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: NGA Records (Formerly NIMA)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP84T00171R000301020001-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 12
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 25, 2012
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: December 1, 1983
• Content Type: REPORT

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/25: CIA-RDP84TO0171 R000301020001-6
t
imagery analysis report
Components, Production, and Deployment
of the Soviet BIG BACK Radar (S)
WNINTEL
Z-12115/83
IAR-0066/83
DECEMBER 1983
Copy 44
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AIn L'n I? NT
1. This is the first NPIC report that summarizes imagery-derived information on the
production and deployment of the Soviet BIG BACK radar system (formerly GER-EL-01) and its
support equipment. The BIG BACK is a large, new type Soviet three-dimensional-range, height,
and azimuth-long-range, early warning radar system. It is the first Soviet land-based, three-
dimensional radar to be deployed. As of August 1983, it has supplemented or replaced TALL KING
radars in at least 15 radar facilities (Figure 1 and Table 1) in the Soviet Union and Mongolia since
June 1980. The BIG BACK may eliminate the need to use a separate height-finder radar with the
TALL KING and could offer improved performance over the older radar. This report names and
describes the radar components and includes one map, one table, a conceptual drawing, and
seven annotated photographs. (S/WN)
INTRODUCTION
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COMPONENTS, PRODUCTION, AND DEPLOYMENT
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WNINTEL
Z-12115/83
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Table 1.
Locations of BIG BACK Radar Tests, Production, and Deployments
Sep 73 Gorkiy Radar Plant Sormovo
Apr 75 Kapustin Yar Electronics Test Fac
Apr 77 Novosibirsk Generator Plant
Mar 78 Gorkiy Electronics Research Fac
Apr 78 Pravdinsk Radar Assembly
Apr 79 Kiyev Radar Troop Training
Jun 79 Zaporozhye Radar Plant ZPE
Jul 79 Kursk Radio Vehicle Assembly Plant
Mar 80 Sary Shagan Missile Test Center
Launch Complex A
Jun 80 Timkovo Air Warning Radar Fac Tall King
Jul 80 Sumgait Air Warning Radar Fac
Aug 80 Zaporozhye Air Warning Radar Fac B13-5
Oct 80 Vladimir Air Warning Radar Fac Tall King
Sep 81 Khabarovsk Air Warning Radar Fac B08-5
Feb 82 Ulaan Baatar Army Barracks AL-1
Mar 82 Olenegorsk Air Warning Radar Fac Tall King
Mar 82 Kyurdamir Airfield Air Warning Radar Tall King
Mar 82 Sebuchar Air Warning Radar Fac Tall King
May 82 Nemegete Uula Air Warning Radar Fac Tall King
May 82 Velikye Luki Airfield Air Warning Radar
Fac Tall King
May 82 Sary Shagan Airfield Air Warning Radar
Fac/HD TK
Aug 82 Rybinsk Air Warning Radar Fac A27-5
Apr 83 Baranovich Airfield Air Warning Radar
Tall King
May 83 Mary Air Warning Radar Fac/Bunkered
Jul 83 Gorkiy Communications Equipment Plant
Lenin 197 Frunze 32
Production Plant
Test
Production Plant
Test
Production Plant
Field Test
Production Plant
Production Plant
Test
Deployment
Deployment
Deployment
Deployment
Deployment
Deployment
Deployment
Deployment
Deployment
Deployment
Deployment
Deployment
Deployment
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in size and confi uration. All are
DESCRIPTION
Components
2. The BIG BACK (Figure 2) consists of
two parabolic cylinder
antennas, mounted back-to-back on a mast. A
vertical bar feed is offset to the left of center
on each antenna. Several types of dual-axle
semitrailers support BIG BACK deployment.
Six flatbed antenna trailers carry the antenna
elements and the mast. In the operational
mode, four antenna trailers are parked in a
cruciform configuration beneath the mast; the
other two antenna trailers, sometimes used to
anchor guy wires for the mast, are parked
nearby. The BIG BACK set is completed by two
or three each of operations vans, generator
vans, and generator/support vans; three VP-
series computer/electronics van trailers; and
an arch-roofed generator van trailer. (S/WN)
3. The operations, generator, and gener-
ator/support van trailers (Figure 3) are similar
meters. A chamfered-roof section is
at the rear, but the forward section
differs on each of the three types of vans.
(S/W N)
4. The forward section of the operations
van trailer has butterfly-type folding side pan-
els. In the travel mode (Figure 2), the van
appears to have a smooth, chamfered roof
along its entire length. In the deployed mode,
however, the butterfly panels are folded up
and out. (S/WN)
5. The generator van, which NPIC has
designated as the Kapustin Yar Generator Type
1, has a light-toned muffler at each corner of
the rear section. The forward section (goose-
neck portion) is an open framework, normally
containing one box and four cylindrical ob-
jects. (S/WN)
6. The generator/support van, which
NPIC has called the Kapustin Yar Generator
Type 3, does not have any visible mufflers. The
forward section of this van has an open
framework (gooseneck section), on which var-
ious boxes and bundles may be carried. One
generator/support van in each BIG BACK set
has a box mounted on the forward edge of the
rear section. The generator/support van has
also been observed with FLAT TWIN, ODD
GROUP, ODD PAIR, BACK TRAP, KY-EL-01,
and KY-EL-02 radars at Soviet electronics test
facilities. (S/WN)
7. VP-series computer/electronics van
trailers, standard components at Soviet air
defense radar sites and command posts, are
used for air situation reporting and ground
controlled intercept functions. With the BIG
BACK, the VP-series vans could either serve in
this capacity or provide additional space for
the operation of the radar. The arch-roofed
generator van, always deployed with the VP-
series vans, is probably a 100 kilowatt type.
(S/W N)
Production and Deployment
8. BIG BACK radars or components have
been identified at six Soviet electronics prod-
uction plants, three test facilities, a field test/
training site, and 15 radar sites (Figure 1 and
Table 1). The BIG BACK was first observed at
Kapustin Yar Electronics Test Facility in April
1975. Since March 1978, this radar has been
observed undergoing tests at Gorkiy Electron-
ics Research Facility. (S/WN)
9. Production of the BIG BACK radar
involves at least five electronics plants, three
concentrated in or near Gorkiy:
- Pravdinsk Radar Assembly,
-Gorkiy Radar Plant Sormovo,
-Gorkiy Communications Equipment
Plant Lenin 197 Frunze 32,
-Novosibirsk Generator Plant, and
-Kursk Radio Vehicle Assembly Plant.
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FIGURE 3. CONCEPTUAL DRAWING OF BIG BACK OPERATIONS, GENERATOR, AND GENERATOR/SUP-
PORT VAN TRAILERS
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At Zaporozhye Radar Plant ZPE
Figure 4) generator/support vans similar in
appearance to those at the five plants were
also seen from June 1979 through July 1982.
These vans, however, were probably associ-
ated with other radar systems produced at the
Zaporozhye plant, rather than with the BIG
BACK. (S/WN)
10. Antennas and antenna trailers are
produced at Pravdinsk (Figure 5), also the final
assembly point for the entire BIG BACK sys-
tem. BIG BACK components have been ob-
served there since April 1978. Electronics
equipment is mounted in the operations van
trailers at Gorkiy Radar Plant Sormovo (Figure
6), 15 nm southeast of Pravdinsk. Operations
van trailers were first identified at Gorkiy
in September 1973. Operations and genera-
tor/support vans were first observed at Gorkiy
Communications Equipment Plant Lenin 197
Frunze 32 (Figure 7) on Electron-
ics equipment produced at this plant is proba-
bly mounted in the vans here. Generator and
generator/support vans are produced at two
Soviet generator plants: Novosibirsk Genera-
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tor Plant (Figure 8), and Kursk Radio Vehicle
Assembly Plant (Figure 9). These vans have
been at Novosibirsk since April 1977 and at
Kursk since July 1979. (S/WN)
11. Field testing and troop training with
the BIG BACK began in spring 1979. Sary
Shagan Missile Test Center Launch Complex A
was used for probable integra-
tion tests with an air defense network, includ-
ing various surface-to-air missile systems. Full
scale deployment began in the summer 1980.
The initial deployments (Table 1) were in the
Moscow Military District (MD) and two south-
western border MDs. Deployments during
1981 and 1982 covered the Sino-Soviet border
(including two deployments in Mongolia) and
the northwestern border MDs. In spring 1983,
the Soviets began to fill in gaps in the
remaining border MDs. (S/WN)
IMAGERY
All available satellite imagery acquired from September 1973 through August 1983 was used in the
preparation of this report. (S/WN)
Comments and queries regarding this report are welcome. They may be directed to
USAF, Warsaw Pact Forces Division, Imagery Exploitation Group, NPIC,
I(S)
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