ANALYSIS OF RAILHEAD AND STORAGE AREAS AT SOVIET SINGLE-SILO ICBM COMPLEXES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: NGA Records (Formerly NIMA)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP02T06408R000600010025-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 16
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 18, 2003
• Sequence Number: 25
• Publication Date: August 1, 1967
• Content Type: REPORT

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PHOTOGRAPHIC INTERPRETATION REPORT
ANALYSIS OF RAILHEAD AND STORAGE AREAS
AT SOVIET SINGLE-SILO ICBM COMPLEXES
Declass Review by NIMAIDOD
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AUGUST 1967
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14 PAGES
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AUTOMATIC DONMGRADING
AND OECLAS51fICATION
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PHOTOGRAPHIC INTERPRETATION REPORT
ANALYSIS OF RAILHEAD AND STORAGE AREAS
AT SOVIET SINGLE-SILO ICBM COMPLEXES
NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC INTERPRETATION CENTER
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PREFACE
This report, prepared in response to GMAIC Require-
ment 31-67, represents a detailed analysis of the railhead
and storage area at each of the Soviet Type IIIC and IIID
ICBM complexes, with specific reference to launch site
construction and construction timing. The function and
facilities of the railhead and storage areas were assessed
and, in each instance, an effort was made to identify items
used in site construction, and to determine materiel stock-
pile levels for purposes of forecasting future deployment.
Analysis was restricted by the interpretability of
photography available over each complex. Weather con-
ditions, heavy snow cover, and the small scale precluded
identification of specific items on
hotography was interpretable for certain deter-
minations but coverage, especially over railhead and
storage areas, is very limited. Suitable .coverage of some
complexes is almost nil; however assumptions can be
made from photography of
complexes. All available
through
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similar facilities at other
photography,
was used in the analysis,
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FIGURE 1, LOCATIONS OF SOVIET TYPE IIIC AND IIID ICBM COMPLEXES.
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The railhead and storage area is an integral part of
the complex support facility at each ICBM complex. During
construction of the individual launch sites and the perma-
nent portions of [he complex support facility, it functions
as the receiving, storage, and distribution facility for
materials and supplies. Unlike the rail-to-road transfer
point, which is a permanent facility, [he railhead and
storage area diminishes in activity once the construction
program is completed at a complex. The physical charac-
teristics of the railhead and storage area, such as size,
layout, and location, vary considerably within each complex
support facility. The locations of Soviet Type IIIC and IIID
ICBM complexes are given in Figure 1. The railhead and
storage area, and its associated open storage yards at the
complex support facility of the Zhangiz-Tobe ICBMComplex
are shown in Figure 2.
Each railhead and storage area contains warehouse-
type buildings, some with transloading docks, and large
areas for open storage. Multiple rail sidings connect with
the main spur serving the rail-to-road transfer point or
the complex support facility. The sidings, many of which
are equal in length, often form a candelabrapattern. Roads
with wide-radius turns throughout the area provide access
to the complex main roads.
With the exception of the Tatishchevo Complex, the
railhead and storage area at each of the Type IIID complexes
contains a concrete prefabrication plant. These plants
probably provide all batch mixes required for general
construction purposes, and an undetermined amount of
prefabricated materials for silo construction. 1/ Concrete
production facilities at some railhead and storage areas
include multiple batch plants, cement drying kilns, prefab-
rica[ion buildings, and drying pits. Sand and gravel are
delivered by rail, with conveyer systems feeding the batch
plants. At Tatishchevo, all prefabricated materials are
shipped by rail into the railhead and storage area. A possible
concrete batch plant located southeast of the railhead and
storage area, near the branch switch for the rail spur,
may furnish some of the construction materials for the
complex.
The railhead and storage area at each of the 6 Type
IIIC ICBM complexes has a batch plan[ to provide concrete
for construction of the complex. No prefabrication plants
or cement drying kilns have been identified in association
with these batch Plante; however, limitedconcreteprefabri-
cation is possible. Delivery of supplies and prefabricated
materials by rail a[ the complex support facility of [he
Uzhur ICBM Complex is shown in Figure 3. The allocation
of prefabricated materials for individual launch sites is
accomplished at a distribution point associated with the
railhead and storage area. The distribution point usually
contains rail sidings, with roadways accessible to the
complex main roads.
Large heavy duty cranes of various types are available
for handling materials in the storage areas and distribution
points. There are usually large rail-mounted gantries,
and traveling and hammerhead cranes in [he storage areas
of the candelabra sidings and [he distribution point. Mobile
cranes and lifting equipment are observed throughout the
area, outside the operating range of the rail-mounted cranes.
CONSTRUCTION ITEMS
The Type IIIC complexes, containing only one type of
launch site, all require like construction materials -- a
number of which have been identified in the railhead and
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storage areas during the various construction stages.
One of the most evident and easily identified items is a
fuel storage tank with a capacity of approximately 14,000
US gallons. A total of 29 of these tanks is used a[ each
launch group; 11 tanks are installed adjacent to the control
bunker, and 3 tanks at each of the 6 launch sites. There
were 27 fuel tanks in the railhead and storage area at the
Kartaly ICBM Complex (Figure 4) in ut
only 13 tanks were observed in One launch
group was in a midstage of construction at Kartaly in
and one group in an early stage. Since
these tanks are normally seen in place at launch sites in
a midstage of construction, it can be concluded that those
remaining in the railhead and storage areas are scheduled
for launch sites identified at an earlier date. 25X1
The hollow prefabricated blocks observed a[ the rail-
head and storage areas (Figure 5), and at the launch sites
(Figure 6), have been identified as components of the pier
supports for the silo door rails behind the silo headworks
(Figure 7). No definite determination has been made as to
total number used, or if this size block is used exclusively
for the rail piers. Some doubt exists as to the number
used in the piers, since a single block frequently appears
on the opposite side of the silo excavation. Inl
Launch Site 23 at the Zhangiz-Tobe ICBM Complex was in
an early stage of construction and contained 32 of these
blocks next to the silo excavation (Figure 8). Launch Sites
18 and 19 at [he Dombarovskiy ICBM Complex, both in the
midstage of construction, contained 11 and 19 of these
blocks, respectively, in0 The evidence indi-
cates that the blocks are brought to the launch site during
the early stage, and are utilized as the site progresses
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 cradle at the mound and is not placed in the silo until
the site is nearing the late stage of construction. No liner
sections have been identified in the railhead and storage
areas,
Other prefabricated materials have been observed in
the railhead and storage areas and at the launch sites but,
since methods of stacking preclude definitive identification,
the quantities and uses of these materials in launch site
construction have not been determined.
MATERIEL STOCKPILE LEVELS
Analysis of the railhead and storage areas at the 6
Type IIIC ICBM complexes indicates that the identifiable
inventory consists of materials for launch sites in various
stages of construction. All materials necessary for the
construction of each site are not brought into the railhead
and storage area at one time, but appear to be programmed
over a period of time relevant to requirements for the
various stages of construction. The lack of timely photo-
graphic coverage over the railhead and storage areas
precludes establishment of a norm for stockpile levels,
or a regulated flow of materials.
TYPE IIID ICBM COMPLEXES
CONSTRUCTION ITEMS
Many of the items used in construction of the launch
silos have been identified in the railhead and storage areas
at Type IIID complexes, but specific use of the items in site
construction cannot always be determined. The most
evident item is the silo headworks block;
however, stacking methods in the railhead and storage areas
preclude determination of the exact number in storage.
Mensural data indicates that there are probably 15 of these
wedge-shaped blocks, plus 1 for the appendage, in the top
tier of the silo headworks and 16 or 17 blocks in the bottom
tier. These blacks have been observed most prominently
in the railhead and storage area at the Olovyannaya ICBM
Complex (Figure 9), and at various launch sites under con-
struction.
Prefabricated concrete blocks for supporting the silo
door rails have been identified in groups of 14, as required
at each launch site. These blocks have been in evidence
in the distribution point of the railhead and storage area
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at the Olavyannaya Complex Figure 9).
A square prefabricated block, peculiar to controlsites,
has also been identified in the distribution point at the
Olovyannaya Complex, and at the various control sites.
Site 25 and, in
l of these blocks were observed at Launch
1 ar more blocks were possibly
installed along an open trench at Launch Site 46. No
determination has been made as to their use, other than
they are significant to the construction of the control
facility and may be conduit sections.
The prefabricated concrete cubicles used in construc-
tion of the rectangular mound patterns at Type IIID launch
silos 2J have been identified in the railhead and storage
area at the Drovyanaya ICBM Complex (Figure 10). The
4 cubicles used at each site are not discernible unless
the round opening on top is visible. The cubicles have
been identified at only a few other railhead and storage
areas and launch sites,
Other components, such as concrete arches, entrance-
way blocks for earth-covered buildings, concrete conduit,
and fencepasts, are identifiable in the railhead and storage
areas and at the launch sites. No silo doors have been
observed in the railhead and storage areas but,
10 door shells were seen at Launch Site 46
(control) at the Olavyannaya Complex and 7 door shells
(probably being assembled) were observed at the rail-
to-road transfer point at the Yedrovo Complex.
MATERIEL STOCKPILE LEVELS
Analysis of the railhead and storage areas at Type
IIID complexes reveals that no "normal" materiel stock-
pile levels can be determined. All photography examined
indicates that the stockpile of materials never exceeds
the requirements for a group of 10 launch sites. The
best available photography of railhead and storage areas,
primarily those at the Drovyanaya, Olovyannaya, Perm,
and Svobodnyy Complexes, indicates that stockpiles may
be less than the requirement for construction of a launch
group, At the Tatishchevo Complex, stockpiled material
has been observed fora distance of approximately 1.0
nm along both sides of the rail spur approaching the
railhead and storage area; however, the quality of the
photography was such that meaningful levels could not
be determined.
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It is possible, in retrospect, to establish a relationship
between materiel levels and deployment rates at specific
complexes. For example, in 0 the railhead
and storage area at the Perm Complex did not appear to
contain sufficient materials to support the start of a new
launch group, and no new starts have been observed to
date. At the Olovyannaya Complex, in ~ the
railhead and storage area showed evidence of materials
for approximately 7 launch sites; between
7 new launch sites were observed. Six
of the 7 sites were observed in and were
the last of the new starts observed at the complex through
Evidence in ~ however, revealed
that the prefabrication plant in the railhead and storage
area at Olovyannaya is producing silo headworks materials
and components indicative of the start of a new launch
group. The large inventory of materials and the generally
high level of activity in the railhead and storage area at
the Svobodnyy Complex are also indicative of continued
deployment. The concrete prefabrication plant at the
Drovyanaya Complex is in a production status but, in
it was evident that insufficient materials
were available in the railhead and storage area to support
the start of a sixth launch group; no additional materials
have been observed.
The limited supply of materials and the general level
of activity in the railhead and storage area at the Kostroma
Complex do not exemplify a support role similar to that
at other Type IIID complexes. No positive identification
has been made of a concrete prefabrication plant asso-
ciated with the existing batch plants at Kostroma.
CONCLUSIONS
The following conclusions can be drawn from the
analysis of photography currently available on railhead
and storage areas at Soviet single-silo ICBM complexes:
Future deployment of Type IIIC and IIID launch
sites cannot be forecast beyond one additional
group, and this determination cannot be made
for all new groups.
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 Production at the concrete prefabrication plant
in the complex support facility at Type IIID
complexes and activity in the open storage
yards of the railhead and storage area at both
Type IIIC and IIID complexes are evidence of
new launch group deployment.
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At all Type IIID complexes, except Tatishchevo,
prefabricated materials are supplied to the dis-
tribution paints in the railhead and storage
areas from concrete prefabrication plants in
the complex support facility. At Tatishchevo,
and at all Type IIIC complexes, prefabricated
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materials are brought in by rail.
Many of the construction components are iden-
tifiable in the railhead and storage areas but,
because of stacking methods, quantities are un-
determinable.
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FIGURE 2. RAILHEAD AND STORAGE AREA, COMPLEX SUPPORT FACILITY, ZHANGIZ-TOBE ICBM COMPLEX.
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FIGURE 6. HOLLOW FREFABRf~A."rt.?": HL~~",~~ ~ ?~i~NCH S1TE id, ZHANGiZ-TOBE rCBM COMPLEX,
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DOCUMENTS
1. NPIC
2. NPIC.
REQUIREMENT
GMAIC. 31-67
NPIC PROJECT
11269/67
Construction Techniques and Procedures Associated With The Type IIID 1CBMLaunchSilo, Oct 66 (TOP SECRET
ossible Guidance-Associated Facilities and Geodetic Monuments at Type IIID Launch Sites, Jan 67 (TOP SECRIi~
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