BEAR H PROBABLY IN PRODUCTION KUYBYSHEV AIRFRAME PLANT LENIN 18, USSR(SANITIZED)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: NGA Records (Formerly NIMA)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP84T00491R000101250001-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 29, 2011
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: March 23, 1984
• Content Type: MISC

Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/11/29: CIA-RDP84T00491 R000101250001-8
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Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/11/29: CIA-RDP84T00491 R000101250001-8
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Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/11/29: CIA-RDP84T00491 R000101250001-8
 25X1
Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/11/29: CIA-RDP84T00491 R000101250001-8
Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/11/29: CIA-RDP84T00491 R000101250001-8
 Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/11/29: CIA-RDP84T00491 R000101250001-8
(c) NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC INTERPRETATION CENTER
Page 1 of 2 Attachment to Z-17270/84
Copy NPIC/IEG (3/84)
23 MARCH 1984
BEAR H PROBABLY IN PRODUCTION
KUYBYSHEV AIRFRAME PLANT LENIN 18, USSR (SWN)
1. SIGNIFICANCE: ANALYSIS OF SOVIET FACILITIES ASSOCIATED
WITH THE BEAR H PROVIDES STRONG EVIDENCE THAT THIS AIRCRAFT
IS IN PRODUCTION AT KUYBYSHEV AIRFRAME PLANT LENIN 18 AS
WELL AS TAGANROG AIRFRAME PLANT DIMITROV 86
THE PRODUCTION RATE, AS A CONSEQUENCE,
MAY BE HIGHER THAN ORIGINALLY POSTULATED. (SWN)
2. REMARKS: THE BEAR II IS CURRENTLY THE ONLY AIRCRAFT
ASSOCIATED WITH THE AS-X-15 LONG-RANGE CRUISE MISSILE. THE
PROTOTYPE BEAR H WAS FIRST OBSERVED AT TAGANROG IN
OCTOBER 1979. TAGANROG HAS BEEN THE SOLE PRODUCER OF
BEAR F SINCE 1974 AND OF BEAR H SINCE OCTOBER 1981, WHEN
SERIES PRODUCTION OF THE BEAR H BEGAN. TAGANROG HAS SINCE
BEEN PRODUCING BOTH THE CRUISE MISSILE-ASSOCIATED BEAR H
AND THE ANTISUBMARINE WARFARE-ASSOCIATED BEAR F AT A
COMBINED RATE OF NINE TO TEN PER YEAR. HOWEVER, NPIC'S
ANALYSIS INDICATES THAT FOR THE SEVEN-MONTH PERIOD FROM
MID-AUGUST 1983 TO MID-MARCH 1984, AT LEAST TEN BEAR H WERE
PRODUCED. IN AUGUST 1983, THE RANGE OF BEAR H OBSERVED ON
NEAR SYNOPTIC COVERAGE WAS EIGHT TO TEN. ON 15 AND
16 MARCH, A TOTAL OF 20 BEAR H WAS OBSERVED AT THE FOUR
KNOWN BEAR H-RELATED FACILITIES. THROUGHOUT THIS PERIOD NO
ACTIVITY WAS OBSERVED AT TAGANROG THAT INDICATED BEAR
PRODUCTION HAD BEEN ACCELERATED. (SWN)
KUYBYSHEV HAD BEEN THE SOLE PRODUCER OF BEAR AIRCRAFT UNTIL
PRODUCTION WAS HALTED THERE IN 1974. SINCE 1977, KUYBYSHEV
HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH REFURBISHMENT/RETROFIT OF OLDER
BEAR. A BEAR H WAS FIRST IDENTIFIED AT KUYBYSHEV IN
JANUARY 1983; IT WAS PROBABLY THERE TO HAVE ADVANCED
ELECTRONICS EQUIPMENT INSTALLED. SINCE THEN, ONE TO THREE
BEAR H HAVE NORMALLY BEEN AT THE PLANT WITH A HIGH COUNT OF
FIVE OBSERVED SINCE MARCH 1983, IMAGERY
HAS SHOWN AN INCREASING NUMBER OF BEAR H AT KUYBYSHEV
WITHOUT THE DARK ANTIGLARE PAINT ATOP THE NOSE, FORWARD OF
THE FLIGHT DECK AREA. IN CONTRAST, ALL BEAR H OBSERVED AT
These notes have been prepared for briefing purposes only and should not be used for detailed analytical work.
Their use should be restricted to the particular briefing board(s) they were prepared for and must be considered
valid only for the reporting period as indicated by the date of issue.
WARNING NOTICE
INTELLIGENCE SOURCES
OR METHODS INVOLVED
_aTff:T_1
Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/11/29: CIA-RDP84T00491 R000101250001-8
 Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/11/29: CIA-RDP84T00491 R000101250001-8
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(c) NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC INTERPRETATION CENTER
Page 2 of 2
Copy
NPIC/IEG (3/84)
23 MARCH 1984
TAGANROG SINCE 1979 HAVE HAD THE DISTINCTIVE ANTIGLARE
PAINT. NO REASON CAN BE FOUND FOR PREVIOUSLY PAINTED
AIRCRAFT PRODUCED AT TAGANROG TO HAVE THE PAINT REMOVED
AFTER THEY ARE FLOWN TO KUYBYSHEV. A MORE LIKELY
EXPLANATION IS THAT AIRCRAFT PRODUCED AT TAGANROG ARE
PAINTED PRIOR TO ROLL-OUT, AND THAT KUYBYSHEV-PRODUCED
BEAR H ARE PAINTED AFTER ROLL-OUT. A REVIEW OF IMAGERY OF
DOLON AIRFIELD THE ONLY OPERATIONAL BASE 25X1
TO RECEIVE BEAR H THUS FAR, INDICATES THAT ALL OF THE
AIRCRAFT ARE PAINTED WITH ANTIGLARE PAINT PRIOR TO
OPERATIONAL DEPLOYMENT. NO UNPAINTED BEAR HAVE EVER BEEN
OBSERVED AT DOLON. (SWN)
OTHER EVIDENCE SUGGESTING BEAR H PRODUCTION AT KUYBYSHEV IS
THE PRESENCE OF NK-12 ENGINE SHIPPING CONTAINERS. THE
NK-12 IS THE POWERPLANT FOR THE BEAR. SINCE KUYBYSHEV
BECAME INVOLVED IN BEAR REFURBISHMENT/RETROFIT ACTIVITY,
NK-12 SHIPPING CONTAINERS HAVE BEEN .ROUTINELY PRESENT.
SINCE OCTOBER 1983, HOWEVER, ONLY BEAR H HAVE BEEN OBSERVED
AT KUYBYSHEV, YET MOVEMENT AND REPLACEMENT OF THE NK-12
CONTAINERS WITHIN THE CHECKOUT AREA HAS CONTINUED. AS WITH
THE ANTIGLARE PAINT, IT DOES NOT SEEM REASONABLE THAT NEWLY
PRODUCED TAGANROG BEAR WOULD BE FLOWN TO KUYBYSHEV AND THEN
HAVE THE ENGINES REPLACED. WE BELIEVE THIS IS MORE
EVIDENCE THAT BEAR H ARE BEING PRODUCED AT KUYBYSHEV, THUS
ACCOUNTING FOR THE CONTINUED SIGHTINGS AND MOVEMENTS OF THE
NK-12 CONTAINERS. FURTHERMORE, ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS BEAR
HORIZONTAL STABILIZERS AND INNER WING PANELS HAVE BEEN
OBSERVED IN THE CHECKOUT AREA BETWEEN THE FINAL ASSEMBLY
HALL AND THE CHECKOUT HANGAR, AND NO BEAR HAVE EVER BEEN
OBSERVED AT KUYBYSHEV WITHOUT THESE COMPONENTS. (SWN)
OUR ANALYSIS OF THE ACTIVE CARELESS LINE AT KUYBYSHEV HAS
SHOWN NO SIGNIFICANT DECLINE IN THE PRODUCTION OF THIS
AIRCRAFT. FROM 1969 THROUGH 1973, BOTH BEAR AND CARELESS
WERE IN SERIES PRODUCTION AT KUYBYSHEV, CLEAR EVIDENCE OF A
CAPABILITY TO PRODUCE THESE AIRCRAFT CONCURRENTLY IN
SUBSTANTIAL NUMBERS. SWN
Attachment to Z-17270/84
COORDINATES 53-13-OSN 050-18-24E (S)
These notes have been prepared for briefing purposes only and should not be used for detailed analytical work.
Their use should be restricted to the particular briefing board(s) they were prepared for and must be considered
valid only for the reporting period as indicated by the date of issue.
WARNING NOTICE
INTE LLIGFNCE SOURCES
OR ME T HODS IN VOL VED
SECRET
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25X1
Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/11/29: CIA-RDP84T00491 R000101250001-8