MISSILE-ASSOCIATED FACILITY NEAR EMBA, USSR

Document Type: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP78B04560A000800010016-3
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
T
Document Page Count: 
16
Document Creation Date: 
December 28, 2016
Document Release Date: 
February 18, 2004
Sequence Number: 
16
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
July 1, 1963
Content Type: 
REPORT
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PDF icon CIA-RDP78B04560A000800010016-3.pdf2.22 MB
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Approved For Release 20 Copy j,i 16 Pages N P I C/R-159/63 July 1963 PHOTOGRAPHIC INTERPRETATION REPORT MISSILE-ASSOCIATED FACILITY NEAR EMBA, USSR a 25X1 NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC INTERPRETATION CENTER 0, Declass Review by NIMA / DoD Approved For RWQjWe 2 NW: c PHOTOGRAPHIC INTERPRETATION REPORT N P I C/R-159/63 July 1963 NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC INTERPRETATION CENTER MISSILE-ASSOCIATED FACILITY NEAR EMBA, USSR Approved 4easSL xd&12 25X1 25X1 25X1 ,12 NPIC/R-159/63 Approved ForTIgas QO, 1 This report, prepared in response to CIA requirement OSI/289/62 I presents a photographic study of the missile- associated facility near Emba, USSR. The only photography of this installation is that rovidediI and small scale of this photography preclude the determination of exact measurements and the assigning of definite functions to many buildings and areas. 25X1 D I IThe quality Approved Foy asiS 25X1 25X1 D 25X1 Approved For ks 12 NPIC/R-159/63 I 25X1 D The Emba Missile-Associated Facility ap- pears to be a major testing or research and development facility rather than an operational- type missile facilit . It was still under con- struction the date of the latest photography, and the particular type of missile activity cannot be determined at this time. The facility includes a probable launch area with associated support facilities and a sep- arate administrative and logistical support area. The launch-associated facilities, located in the southern part of the installation, consist of a probable launch area, a technical support area, and an instrumented range containing eleven instrumentation sites which form a bell- shaped pattern extending approximately 35 nautical miles (nm) in a south-southwesterly direction. The administrative and logistical support area, located in the northern part of the in- stallation, includes a rail-served support area A and an adjoining airfield with a 7,500 foot runway. I The Emba Missile-Associated Facility at 48-45N 58-04E (Figure 1) is under construction NORWAY `^ L ..N. SWE OEM Kaliningrad Ar brest i_ o ~ ~ G Eg, URKEY i6l ? .Kuybyshev ~?Sverdlov Volgograd o .. KAPUSTIN=Y-A.R Astrakhan. Murmansk Guryev ARAL SEA, 8-doles oed Domes ore eor eecessa.ily PAKISTAN chose recognised by the/U. S. Oovernmenr Approved Fo leas south of Emba, a town on the Kazakh railroad system 275 nm northwest of Tyura Tam. Komsomolsk ? .'NSvobodnyy no arsk LLake aykaT ~ /' Anadyr SEA OF OKHOTSK 25X1 25X1 25X1 Approved For Re{ Cp 20Q410C5112 : - 016- NPIC/R-159/63 FIGURE 2. MISSILE-ASSOCIATED FACILITY AT EMBA 25X1 I ApprovedA 4eI !( 1O /12 : CIA-RDP78B0456 A000800010016-3 25X1 I 1 1 I Approved For Approved Fqf easq )A R T2 : A/pl/1 Approved 25X1 25X1 D 25X1 25X1 25X1 D 25X1 D 25X1 D 25X1 D 25X1 NPIC/R-159/63 Fyo eleaag Q This facility was first observed he only available photo coverage of this area rior to this date was photography I Although snow covered, this photography showed no evidence of a railroad or construction activity in the area south of Emba. the following= missions have provided fair pho- tography of this facility This report is based on photography resulting from the 10016-3 25X1 I missions (Figures 2 and 3) and de- scribes the changes resulting from construction activity Support area A is located 4 nm south- southwest of Emba, on the east bank of the Emba River (Figure 4). This support base, which occupies an area 9,000 by 5,000 feet, contains about 114 buildings and two sets of rail sidings having a total length of 10,000 feet. This appears to be the main support base. A rail line from this base joins the main railroad at Emba. The buildings are primarily grouped into two separate areas. The northern area appears to be an administrative and housing area and contains 56 buildings, most of which measure about 50 by 25 feet. The southern area con- tains 33 buildings, most of which measure 130 by 30 feet, and appears to be a barracks or warehouse area. There are approximately 25 additional buildings on the base, of which five are major buildings, measuring from 150 to 215 feet long and from 40 to 65 feet wide. This support base is still under con- struction. Of the present 114 buildings, two major buildings and 23 others had been con- 25X1 D structed Earth scarring throughout the area indicates preliminary activity for future construction. Two sets of rail spurs are located im- mediately south of the building areas. One set, composed of three rail spurs, each 1,500 feet long and 225 feet apart, points northward toward the building areas. The western- most spur appears to serve a possible heating plant located near the end of the spur, and may be elevated to facilitate unloading of material from hopper cars. The other two spurs do 25X1 D 25X1 I 25X1 D 25X1 I 25X1 D not appear ver activ o issions 25X1 The second 25X1 11 set of rail spurs points southward and is com- posed of three rail spurs, each 1,800 feet long and 375 feet apart, plus a short 600- foot rail spur which terminates in a "Y" fork. The southern set of rail spurs appears more active than the northern set. On = photography a few small warehouses an a itt e open storage were visible. Pho- tography revealed that a few additional small warehouses had been con- structed, additional material was being stored in the open areas between the rail spurs, and the short 600 foot long rail spur had been constructed Construction activity is probably still in progress since the full capabilities of these rail sidings did not appear to be in use. Approve"~ZeI" 25X1' 25X1 D 25X1 D Emba Airfield is located 6.5 nm south- west of Emba and just south of Support Area A (Figure 5). The airfield has a single graded- earth runway, 7,500 feet long by 650 feet wide and oriented northeast/southwest. An elec- tronics landing facility, possibly a TOKEN radar, is located approximately 4,000 feet south- east of the south end of the runway. The airfield is rail- and road-served by the same system that serves support area A. The runway appeared serviceable Approved ForTWase NPIC/R-159/63 Ithe date of the earliest photography of this airfield. Construction activity, however, is still in progress. The width of the runway had doubled LI The on y I u Earth scarring and construction activity are apparent near the north end of the runway in the vicinity of the railroad terminus. In- creased track activity is apparent throughout the airfield area. Three medium-sized transport aircraft and ten smaller unidentified aircraft were present at the airfield Aircraft were possibly present on the earlier missions, but poor photo quality pre- cluded a determination of number or type. 25X1 Approved Fo~~~as~ l1 : CIA-RDP78B04560A00d800010016-3 25X1 Approved For RV"p 2Q~,4l(y~ Cli - NPIC/R-159/63 UNIDENTIFIED FACILITY AND RAIL-TO-ROAD TRANSFER POINT An unid if ent ied facility and an adjacent rail- to-road transfer Point, (Figure 6) are located 3 nm south-southeast of support area A at the terminus of the railroad line from Emba. The unidentified facility occupies a rec- tangular area approximately 1,500 by 1,100 feet which contains six large buildings and five small structures. The largest building measures 170 by 65 feet and the other five buildings each measure approximately 125 by 50 feet. Earth scarring around the periphery of this area may be ditches. On the eastern edge of the facility a short rail spur appears to Support area B (Figure 7) is located 11 area, which occupies an area 5,000 by 1,600 nm south of support area A and 8 nm south of the rail-to-road transfer pointThis support feet, contains approximately 25 buildings prob- . ably used for shops, barracks, or storage. It 25X1 25X1 I 25X1 1 FIGURE 5. EMBA AIRFIELD 25X1 I Approve (Rel"f f/ /12 : CIA-RDP78B04560 000800010016-3 25X1 I lead to a large pit, 150 by 80 feet, which has a spoil pile or a building at its southern edge. This unidentified facility appears active, but no significant chap e in the area was apparent The rai -to-road transfer point is located just north of the unidentified facility. at the end of a 4, 000-foot long rail spur. No build- ings are evident at this transfer point, but some materials appear to be stored in the open near the rail terminus. Roads leading from this transfer point connect with all major facil- ities. There was no apparent change in this are 1 1 Approved For TQ"se I AE/12 : is located just north of the rangehead instru- mentation sites and probably provides support for the operations at the instrumentation sites 00010016-3 NPIC/R-159/63 and the probable launch area. There was no apparent significant change in this support _ 25X1 area F I 25X1 The probable launch area is located 3 nm south-southwest of support area B and 19 nm south-southwest of the town of Emba. The probable launch area (Figure 8) is en- olosed in a rectangular double-fenced area measuring approximately 1,600 by 1,300 feet. The road pattern within the fenced area forms a rectangle approximately 800 by 600 feet, with an offset, north-south, center road (Figure 9). The roads appear to be hard surfaced and on a slight fill in order to maintain a common level. On the inside of both the east and west parallel roads is a white square area, ap- proximately 75 feet on a side, which may be a vehicle hardstand or possibly the initial stages of launch pad construction. A low build- ing or hardstand, 180 by 75 feet, is located on the northwest edge of the rectangular road pattern, and two small buildings are located near the northwest corner of the center offset road. Three small buildings, one of which is bunkered, are located just northeast of the fenced area and appear to be directly associated with operations in the probable launch area. Outside the probable launch area, the roads do not appear to be graded or surfaced to provide smooth and finished access from the support facilities. While it is apparent that this area is still under construction, little significant change was noted in the probable launch area Approved FoqIF-Ma es" Fe" Approved FYbOfileAW N PIC/R-159/63 area. Four of the eastern leg A smaller double-fenced area, 1,000 by in the fenced area, but the quality of the 800 feet, is located approximately 2,000 feet photography precludes a more detailed des crip- southeast of the probable launch area. A few tion of this area. There was no apparent change small buildings or bunkers are discernible with- in this area The eleven instrumentation sites associated with this facility form a bell-shaped pattern oriented in a south-southwesterly direction. Three of the instrumentation sites are located near the apex of the bell-shaped pattern just north of the probable launch the instrumentation sites form Approved Forl~ 112 of the pattern which extends for 40 nm, and four sites form the western leg of the pattern which extends for 33 nm. The distance across the range between the most southern instru- mentation site on each leg is 35 nm. Figure 3 shows the instrumentation pattern and the approximate distance between the sites. 25X1 I 25X1 1 1 1 25X1 Approved For ReJ 1 NPIC/R-159/63 25X1 25X1 Five of these sites--sites 2, 6, 7, 8, and 9-- are extensively developed and similar in layout design. Figure 10 shows instrumentation site 6, which is typical of these five sites, except that it is the only site secured by fenc- ing. In addition to a few support buildings, each of these five sites is characterized by a unique arrangement of five buildings in a row. A large rectangular building, 175 by 40 feet, is flanked on each side by two smaller square buildings, 40 by 40 feet. The major, or long, axis of this row of buildings at sites 6, 7, 8, and 9 appears to lie parallel to and looking in toward the nominal flight line. These four major sites are located the farthest from the probable launch area and are the last. two sites on each leg of the instrumentation pattern. Site 2, however, which is similar, is located at or near the apex of the pattern in the vicinity of the probable launch area. This site has the same arrangement of five -9 r Approved Foil G kasegWi buildings in a row, but the long axis of these buildings is perpendicular to the range axis and looks down the nominal line of flight. These five sites appear to contain more instrumentation than any identified instrumen- tation site at known Sino-Soviet missile test centers. The identification of these areas as instrumentation sites is based on the point- to-point interconnection of earth scars, the typical arrangement of the sites along the nominal flight line, and the similarity of this instrumentation pattern to that at Shuang- cheng- tzu 1/ and Kapustin Yar/Vladimirovka Missile Test Center. 2/ The remaining six instrumentation sites-- sites 1, 3, 4, 5, 10, and 11-- are smaller than the others and cannot be described in detail from available photography. However, sites 4, 5, 10, and 11 appear to be similar, each consisting of a single, possibly circular, building. 25X1 Approved For Ree 2p4Lof q NPIC/R-159/63 25X1 I 1 FIGURE 9. CONCEPT OF PROBABLE LAUNCH AREA. Approved FwAAeas 9Ih 2 : CIA-RDP78B04560A00$ 25X1 The area south of the Emba facility be- tween the Aral and Caspian Seas and approxi- mately 600 nm to the Iranian border was searched ftff: NPIC/R-159/63 ' 25X1 25X1 D 25X1 D 1 25X1 D 25X1 D I Ishows the rate of progress ? in building construction. 25X1 D t instrumentation sites 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, and 11. Construction activity was very apparent, however, at sites 6, 7, 8, and 9, the four major sites farthest from the launch. and support areas. Several miles of new earth scarring or forest clearing, indicative of new roads, trails, pipelines, cables, and/or powerlines connect these sites to each other and to the rangehead area. Building construction at the four major sites (6, 7, 8, and 9) was in various stages of completion photography it appeared that building con- struction had been completed, since all four sites had now attained the same characteristic building layout pattern. The following descrip- tion of changes in these sites photography and no apparent change I 25X1 D Site 7. The five characteristic buildings and two support buildings were a arent on lphotographyl -1 a few ings There was no apparent change in the build- building construction appeared completed. additional buildings were observed and the Site 8. photography no buildings were present and only the initial stages of site clearing were observed EJ the site clearing appeared completed and the initial stages ing construction were apparent he buildings appeared to be com- pleted. Site 9. On photography the site was cleared and initial building construction was evident. On photography the buildings appeared to be completed, and there was no apparent change in the build- ings DOWN-RANGE INSTRUMENTATION 25X1 D Approved For RW1 e 2 The buildings appear completed on photography, but no instrumentation sites or major electronics installations were observed. This area south of the facility encompasses thousands of square miles of the desolate Plato Ustyurt and Peski Karakumy that could serve as im- pact areas. Five large probable geological prospecting camps were observed at various isolated lo- cations in the eastern half of the Plato Ustyurt west and southwest of the Aral Sea. These camps are very similar in design, each con- tain 25-30 buildings, and are characterized by very intensive track activity within a few miles of the camp area. While it appears that the primary function of these camps is gas or oil prospecting, the possibility does exist that, in this forbidding area where logistics is such a major problem, some type of instrumentation or electronics may be associated with these camps. A large-scale, low-oblique photograph of one of these camps may be found in USSR Illustrated Monthly. 3/ Approved ForYQ4se,24,(,QRT2 25X1 25X1 25X1 25X1 25X1 25X1 25X1 Approved Fo7 as /2 NPIC/R-159/63 25X1 D 25X1 25X1 25X1 vil DOCUMENTS 1. NPIC. R-36/62, Shuang-cheng-tzu Missile Center China, Mar 62 (TOP SECRET 2. CIA. PIC/JR-1008/61 Surface-to-Air Missile Facilities Ka ustin Yar ladimirovk i i e Test Center USSR, Mar 61 (SECRE 3. Krupin, Vladimir. "Nightingales Stay in the Desert," USSR Illustrated Monthly, v.75, no 12, Dec 62, p.18-19 (UNCLASSIFIED) REQUIREMENTS CIA. OSI/289/62 Approved r~Rel%a~t Approved For Release 2004/05/12. CIA-RDP78BO456OA000800010016-3 Approved For Release 2L64105Y'1`2c? -RDP78B04560A000800010016-3 I