CUBA NAVAL MODERNIZATION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP06T01849R000100040037-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 17, 2012
• Sequence Number: 37
• Publication Date: March 27, 1979
• Content Type: REPORT

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/18: CIA-RDP06T01849R000100040037-1
DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE
AGENCY
INTELLIGENCE APPRAISAL
CUBA
NAVAL MODERNIZATION (U)
NOFORN
NOCONTRACT
WNINTEL
Classified by Multiple Sources
Review on 1 Mar 99
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Not Releasable to
Foreign Nationals
NFIBONLY
NOCONTRACT
PROPIN
WNINTEL
Dissemination and Extraction
of Information Controlled by
Originator
NFIB Departments, Agencies,
and Components Only
Not Releasable to Contra :tors
or Contractor/Consultants
Caution-Proprietary
Information Involved
Warning Notice
Intelligence Sources and
Methods Involved
This information has been
Authorized for Release to....
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Intelligence
Appraisal
This is a Department of Defense publication produced by the
Vice Directorate for Production, Defense Intelligence Agency
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Chronology of Naval Carnll t nt t 11v 1 ,
19 ' - 2 TUR PTH, 1 I XfiFtO T SS
197 8 ~ 2 C3SA II PIG
1' - I C3SA II PTG
1976-2OSAII PIG
197`3 - None
197+ - 10SA I PI
1972 2OSA I PIG
1971 - None
197`0 W None'.
1969 - None
1968 - None
1967 - 6 S0-1 PCS
1966-6 KOMAR PIG
1965 - None
64 - 3 SO-1 PCS, 6 P-4 PTL.
1963 - 3 SO-I PCS, 2 P-4 PTL
1962 - 6 KRONSHTADT PCS, 12 KOMARPTG
1 PO-2 PB
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CUBAs NAVAL MODERNIZATION (U)
Summary
(C) The recent arrival of a FOXTROT-class diesel powered torpedo attack
submarine and two TURYA-class hydrofoil patrol boats may mark the start
of a new program to upgrade the Cuban Navy. The navy is the smallest and
least equipped of Cuba's armed forces. Since the late 1960s, the army and
air force have received most of the deliveries of newer Soviet weapons
systems. In recent years, this preferential treatment was given in order to
reward and train members of both of these services for operations in
Angola and Ethiopia. The navy has had almost no role in Cuban activities
in Africa. Its largest vessels are submarine chasers, which are primarily
used in coastal defense, with operations and patrols restricted to
neighboring waters.
Discussion
(S/WNINTEL/NOFORN/NOCONTRACT) In the early 1960s, the Cuban
Navy began a major expansion of its inventory and received newer Soviet
weapons on a relatively equal basis with the army and the air force. The
influx of new equipment for the navy was so great that between 1962 and
1965 Soviet personnel had to man a large number of the navy's seagoing
billets. Of the 69 patrol craft in the current inventory, the only ships
delivered since 1967 have been 10 OSA-class missile attack boats and the
two TURYA-class hydrofoil patrol boats (PTH); consequently, Cuba's
submarine chasers and torpedo boats are showing signs of age. Most of the
subchasers and torpedo boats were manufactured in the 1940s and 1950s,
and 10 have had to be retired. Many of the remaining 32 have operational
deficiencies that require extended repair periods and may have to be
retired in the next few years.
(S) Cuba may have received its first submarine, a FOXTROT-class diesel-
powered torpedo attack boat, on 6 Feb 79. The FOXTROT would give the
Cubans their first true oceangoing capability. There had been rumors that
such a delivery was pending and that Cubans were in the USSR to train for
submarine duty. The FOXTROT may have been delivered to satisfy
Castro's desire to receive the same equipment that had been sent to some
of Moscow's other arms purchasers.
27 Mar 79 DIA Intelligence Appraisal
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(S) The FOXTROT-class submarine was first launched in 1958. This class
has 10 torpedo tubes and carries either 22 torpedoes or 44 mines. It has a
maximum speed of 18.7 knots surfaced and 16.7 knots submerged. With a
maximum cruising radius of 3,600 nm and a patrol endurance of 60 days,
the Cubans can conduct operations well beyond the neighboring waters to
which they had formerly been restricted. Additionally, a FOXTROT
submarine is an ideal vehicle for the clandestine movement of men and
equipment. The Cubans can also conduct live antisubmarine warfare (ASW)
exercises without having to depend upon visiting Soviet submarines.
(S) On 6 February, an OMSK-class Soviet merchant ship delivered two
TURYA-class PTHs to Havana. The two PTHs, recently constructed at Ulis
Shipyard, Vladivostok, apparently have no capability for antisubmarine
warfare. The normal dipping sonar installation on the starboard has been
omitted as has the after 5.4 meters of superstructure, which is believed to
contain sonar control spaces noted on earlier TURYA units. Two
communications antennas associated with sonobuoy reception were also not
present on the PTHs. Without AS W sensors or AS W communications
systems, the units are probably intended to carry only antiship torpedoes.
(S) The first TURYA-class ship was launched in 1972. It is armed with four
torpedo tubes, each carrying one torpedo; a twin 57-mm dual-purpose gun;
and a twin 25-mm antiaircraft gun. It has a sustained top speed of 35 knots
and an operating radius of 750 nm at 14 knots. These ships may be the
forerunners of future arrivals, which would permit the retirement or
assignment to reserve status of some of the older vessels. Cuba is the first
foreign country to receive the TURYAs.
(C) To accomodate the deliveries of additional ships, the navy has been
upgrading certain elements of its training program. Enrollment of mid-
shipmen at the Naval Academy at Mariel has doubled since 1975 to a
current attendance of 800 to 1,000. Before the curriculum was extensively
restructured in 1977, all students attended a traditional four-year course.
Students can now major in engineering, line-officer training, or electronics,
and respectively attend five, four, and two-year courses of study. In
addition, the government has announced the establishment of the navy's
first school to be located in Cienfuegos. It will provide secondary-level
preparatory training for prospective naval personnel.
(S) The arrival of the FOXTROT and the TURYA may signify a new effort
to place greater emphasis on upgrading the Cuban Navy. During the 1970s,
the army and air force received a number of new Soviet weapons systems.
These included T-62 tanks, ZSU-23-4 self-propelled antiaircraft guns, BMP-
A amphibious armored personnel carriers, MIG-23/FLOGGER all-weather
27 Mar 79 DIA Intelligence Appraisal
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fighters, MIG-21/FISHBED L all-weather interceptors, MIG-21/FISHBED H
all-weather reconnaissance fighters, and MI-8/HIP F assault helicopters.
During recent years, however, only the navy's missile attack boats have
been upgraded. It is believed that some of the equipment received by the
army and air force was in preparation for and recognition of operations in
Africa. It is possible that the modernization program for the army and air
force is now being extended to the navy as well.
Outlook
(S/WNINTEL/NOFORN/NOCONTRACT) The Soviets have exported to
countries other than Cuba a number of naval combatants that are probably
within the operational capabilities of the Cuban Navy. These include
NANUCHKA-class guided missile patrol combatants, PETYA-class light
frigates, POTI-class patrol escorts, and SHERSHEN-class torpedo boats.
According to an unconfirmed December 1978 report, the Cubans might
receive some NANUCHKAs. Such deliveries will probably include newer
and larger ships that will extend the range of the navy's patrol and combat
capabilities. (Classified by multiple sources; review on 1 Mar 99)
27 Mar 79 DIA Intelligence Appraisal Page 3
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