UNUSUAL FACILITIES AT DOLON AIRFIELD, USSR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: NGA Records (Formerly NIMA)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78T04751A000100010030-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 21
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 6, 2011
• Sequence Number: 30
• Publication Date: June 1, 1961
• Content Type: REPORT

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UNUSUAL FACILITIES
AT
DOLON AIRFIELD, USSR
SECRET
(DOWNGRADING PROHIBITED)
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This material contains information affecting
the National Defense of the United States
within the meaning of the espionage laws,
Title 18, USC, Sees. 793 and 794, the trans-
mission or revelation of which in any manner
to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
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gPIPIPT
UNUSUAL FACILITIES
AT
DOLON AIRFIELD, USSR
P I C/J R-1028/61
June 1961
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INTRODUCTION
Aerial photography of Dolon Airfield was first obtained in August 1957,
but the scale and quality did not permit a detailed analysis of the airfield
and its facilities. April 1960 photography revealed several unusual facili-
ties under construction at the airfield. The fact that the construction was
in an early stage hinders a full description and analysis, but sufficient
details of configuration are visible to establish its uniqueness. This
construction has been of considerable interest to the intelligence commu-
nity since the acquisition of the April 1960 coverage.
This interest centers around a fenced area five nautical miles (nm)
from the airfield containing two major buildings under construction (Area
"A"); an unusually large fenced area enclosing a smaller fenced area
containing preliminary construction activity (Area "B"); and a secured,
drive-through hangar-type building, and an unusual hardstand area under
construction near the airfield (Possible Checkout and Special Handling or
Loading Facilities).
The Dolon Airfield complex, including the nearby town of Chagan
(Figure 1), represents a large-scale effort, and appears in some respects
significantly different from a typical Soviet long-range bomber base.
This, and the unusual facilities, may indicate the operational installation
of a new or different type of weapons system at the airfield. Its remote
location and proximity to the 25X1
are further evidence of its importance and sensitivity. 25X1
This report presents a description of these facilities and the entire
Dolon Airfield complex. A brief discussion of possible functions of the
various installations is included. Where pertinent, a comparison of these
facilities with other possibly related or similar installations is also in-
cluded.
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PIC/JR-1028/61
78?
79?
80?
51?
SEMIY ARSKOYE
MAIN SUPPORT GRACHI
0
AREA
CHAGAN
AIRFIELD
jR7'
f.
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SEMI
PALATINSK
DOLON AIRFIELD
O
SEMIPALATINSK AIRFIELD
5 0?
10 0 20
Iiiiii.iiil I I
NAUTICAL MILES
NPIC DG-4385
AREA "A"
Area. "A", (see Figure 3) located five nm southwest of the airfield,
contains what is probably the most significant of the facilities under con-
struction at Dolon Airfield. Construction in this area was in its early
stages in April 1960 so it is not possible to predict its final configuration
and layout. Area "A" consists of a fenced area containing two major
buildings under construction, and a group of support buildings immediately
outside the fence. The area is rectangular in shape, covers 48.2 acres,
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PIC/JR- 1028/61
TO CHAGAN
HANGAR TYPE //
BUILDING
AREA B /
RUNWAY 19,200' X 280'
HARDST AND
U/C
Itk
CRUCIFORM
AREA A BUILDING
1 0 1 2
' I I I I
NAUTICAL MILES
NPIC DG-4386
FIGURE 2. ORIENTATION SKETCH OF DOLON AIRFIELD AND FACILITIES.
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PIC/JR-1028/61
and is secured by a single wire fence. Two lines of postholes extend
3,300 feet to the south of the fenceline, probably indicating future expan-
sion of the site to more than double its present size.
A 40-foot-wide hard-surface road, which also serves Area "B", con-
nects Area "A" with the airfield (see Figure 2). This road terminates
outside the fenced portion of Area "A" and a temporary road serves the
construction under way inside. Numerous vehicle tracks parallel the
road between the site and the airfield, probably indicating the movement
of heavy construction equipment.
The northernmost structure within the fenced area is a heavily con-
structed concrete cruciform building (see Figures 3 and 4), which is lo-
cated in a shallow excavation. The excavated spoil forms two long earthen
ramps parallel to the north and south ends of the building. This appears
to be cut-and-cover type of construction, with these ramps to provide
backfill and possibly earth mounding when the basic structure is complete.
Cuts and vehicle tracks through the center of the ramps possibly indicate
the location of entrances to the structure when completed.
At present the building is about one story high. Its depth below ground
cannot be determined. There is a large T- shaped opening on the top of
the building along its southwest/northeast axis. It is possible that an
additional structure will be built over this opening, although there are no
indications of this at present.
An unusual feature of this building, of possible significance, is the
fact that it is not aligned with the fence, as is normal Soviet construction
practice. A comparison of this building with the storage bunkers found at
Soviet long range airfields 25X1
reveals no similarity.
The other major structure within the fenced area is a large probable
shop-type building in an early stage of construction (see Figure 3). Only
the walls or portions of them have been built, but this provides an indi-
cation of the internal layout of the building. Vehicle entrances on the
north and south sides indicate a pass-through at the west end of the build-
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VEHICLE TRACKS
500
J
38' X 1 B' 1 // \, \\\ I I
~~ 1, ~: \ /~ ? ~~~yy CRUCIFORM BUILDING
i---' \ / //\ i:/ nA'n rn~~~ -(SEE FIG. 4)
SHOP-TYPE BUILDING
U/C
500 0
1 I
NPIC DG-4387 FEET
/,
llA\ `
APPROX. 40' WIDE---- -
II I- ~~\ /j
It /\ Imo-OVERHEAD II
\ 1/POWER LINEI
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\ \ I~I ---~ j1 \
Vii--POST HOLES FOR EXTENSION OF FENCE 8800';
lc~Qr `/\ \
9'?11
up" II
A4 I
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PIC/JR-1028/61
ing. The north, south, and east sides of the building are compartmented
into shop-type rooms around a center bay. An overhead power line leads
from this building to a small, partially buried building outside the fence.
A group of support buildings is located outside the fence at the ter-
minus of the road connecting the facility to the airfield. The largest of
these, a hip-roofed single-story building, is probably an administration
building, but could also provide housing facilities. The southernmost of
these support buildings appears to be of heavy concrete construction and
has an unusual configuration. It is still under construction and has not
been completely roofed, allowing a view of the internal layout. The build-
ing is divided into three sections with a smaller section at one end which
is lower than the other two. Along the sides of each of the two main sec-
tions are covered cells or rooms flanking an open center bay.
Area "B" is located two nm west of the airfield and is connected to
the airfield by the road which also serves Area "A" (see Figure 2).
The outer fence encloses a heptagonal area covering 1,642 acres.
There is a gatehouse at the road entrance to the site (see Figure 5). Sev-
eral ground scars, probably buried cable or pipe trenches, generally
parallel the road leading to the inner fence. North of the entrance, along
the road to the inner fence, is a group of buildings, the largest of which
has inwardly sloping walls, no roof, and appears to be divided into bays.
A gable-roofed building abuts this structure to form a "T". A short mast
or tower is nearby.
The inner fenced area, measuring 1, 300 feet by 1,150 feet, is enclosed
by triple wire fencing and has a gatehouse at the entrance. Within the
fence the road loops up on top of a low mound. The northern portion of
the road loop does not appear to be hard-surfaced.
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Two areas of construction are visible on top of the mound. The west-
ern area contains a shallow excavation, approximately 210 feet in diame-
ter. Radial scars indicate activity by earth-moving equipment. Two rec-
tangular objects, possibly construction shacks, measuring approximately
27 by 10 feet and 20 by 10 feet, are located in the center of the excavation.
The eastern area contains a smaller excavation, approximately 50 feet
in diameter, containing two small unidentified objects.
The purpose of so large a fenced area at Area "B" is difficult to
determine. A possible explanation could be to keep personnel at a safe
distance from a highly toxic material or hazardous operation within the
inner fenced area. This does not seem logical, however, due to the pre-
vailing wind pattern. Skid marks on the runway of the airfield indicate a
predominantly west wind, which would place Area "B" upwind of the air-
field.
Of possible significance in determining the function of Area "B" is
the alignment of its connecting road. This indicates a traffic pattern be-
tween the airfield and Area "B" rather than between areas "A" and "B".
This could, however, be merely a characteristic of the early phase of
construction.
POSSIBLE CHECKOUT AND
SPECIAL HANDLING OR LOADING FACILITIES
Two installations at the western end of the airfield may be checkout
and special handling or loading facilities for an unidentified weapons sys-
tem. Their location and road connections (see Figure 2) suggests a func-
tional relationship with the facilities under construction at Areas "A" and
The possible checkout facility consists of a hangar-type building with-
in a fence. Road access to both ends of the building (see Figure 6) indi-
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cates a drive-through capability and the height of the building
may indicate overhead handling equipment. The road extending from the
south, end of the building leads into a taxiway that connects with the west
ends of the parallel taxiway and the runway. At the time of photography
in April 1960, 2 BEAR and 1 BADGER were parked on this taxiway. The
roads serving this facility were snow covered, indicating perhaps infre-
quent usage. There is no construction currently in progress at this facility
and it appears that it has been complete for some time.
Extending west from the western parking apron (see Figure 6) is a
taxiway and hardstand area under construction which may represent spe-
cial handling or loading facilities. In April 1960 these were in an early
stage of construction -- preliminary grading had been done, but no con-
crete had been laid. A 65-foot-wide hardstand extends from the south side
of the end of the taxiway and a loop road runs from the north side. This
loop road is only 20 feet wide, too narrow for the landing gear of bomber
aircraft, but it may be widened as construction continues. What appears
to be a depression is located alongside the western portion of the loop.
Although suggestive of a weapons loading pit, this depression probably
results from the difference in elevation between the graded and ungraded
areas during this phase of construction.
A comparison of this hardstand area with the loading hardstands at
Soviet bomber bases associated re-
veals a number of significant differences, including size, configuration,
number of hardstands, and absence of loading pits.
DOLON AIRFIELD
Dolon Airfield, with several exceptions, resembles a typical Soviet
Long Range bomber base. In 1960 the airfield appeared essentially com-
plete and operational, with the exception of the unusual facilities under
construction. A detailed description of the airfield and its facilities is
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HANGAR-TYPE
BLDG.
255' X 50'
U/C
311' Ili,'
280' HARDSTAND U/C
L u~_ 65' 65
RUNWAY
13,000 X 260'
1000
11Ij 1jL I I I
i i i i 1
FEET
1 000
-J
not possible from the 1957 photography, but it appeared at that time that
the runway was complete and construction was under way on the various
support facilities.
The airfield has a single concrete-surface east/west runway, 13,200
by 260 feet. The predominant landing pattern, as evidenced by skid marks,
is from the east. Parking aprons with connecting crossovers to the run-
way are located at both ends of the field. A parallel taxiway was under
construction in April 1960.
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The airfield is equipped with an instrument landing system, night
landing aids, and other instrument and communications facilities. A bom-
bing marker with numerous craters indicating recent usage is located
approximately 7,000 feet south of the runway. A double wire security
fence surrounds the airfield and a checkpoint is located at the main road
entrance. Aircraft present on the field in April 1960 included 14 BEAR,
8 BADGER,,2 BULL, and 1 CAB.
Noticeably absent at the field are storage facilities for
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bombs such as are found at other Soviet long-range bomber 25X1
bases. This raises the possibility that the new facilities under construc-
tion represent a new or different type of weapons system becoming oper-
ational at the field.
Housing, administration, and general support facilities at the airfield
are fairly extensive, and when considered in combination with those at
Chagan, indicate a large scale operation. Facilities at the airfield itself
include: housing, both multistory apartments and barracks-type; adminis-
tration buildings; storage or warehouse buildings and areas; heat and power
plant; motor pools and vehicle maintenance facilities; two POL storage
areas; and a concrete storage and batching plant.
A rail spur from the line running between Semipalatinsk and the main
support base for the serves the airfield.
The specific facilities at the airfield served by this rail spur are: both
POL storage areas; the concrete storage and batch plant; the steam and
power plant; and a transloading area near the west end of the airfield.
There is a network of hard-surface roads serving the various portions
of the airfield complex, and a road, paralleling the rail spur, connects the
airfield with the town of Chagan.
The town of Chagan, located five nm north of Dolon Airfield, appears
on the August 1957 and April 1960 photography, both of good quality and
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Semipalatinsk to the main support base of the 25X1
affording a detailed study of the expansion of the town and its facilities
between those two dates. It appears directly related to the airfield and
probably serves as a support base for the airfield. Factors supporting
this conclusion are: the lack of industry in or near the town as a justifi-
cation of its existence; the high quality of the housing facilities in compa-
rison with other towns in the general area; its proximity to and direct
connection by road and rail to the airfield; a timetable of construction
concurrent with Dolon Airfield; the location of a SAM site and SAM support
facility at the town; and the fact that the town does not appear on published
Soviet maps in the Oblast series.
The town is located between the Irtysh River and the rail line from
(see Figure 1). A spur track from this line serves a number of 25X1
the facilities in the western portion of the town. A direct hard-surface
road connects the town with Dolon Airfield and heavy traffic between the
two is indicated by immediate plowing of a recent snowfall.
The following is a listing of the facilities at Chagan taken from the
1960 photography. In the description of each item is a statement of its
relative state of construction at the time of the 1957 photography. Item
numbers are keyed to Figure 7.
1. Housing
Twenty six multi-story apartment buildings plus four additional
buildings under construction are centered around a large four-story ad-
ministration or community building. The large administration or com-
munity building existed in 1957 and eleven of the apartment buildings were
in various stages of construction.
Seventy-six single family dwellings. The same number of build-
ings were complete in 1957.
Eight single-story apartment buildings. The same buildings were
complete in 1957.
Seven barracks-type buildings. These were not present in 1957.
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Labor camp with 11 large barracks, 14 smaller barracks, two
messhalls, and several support buildings. Nine of the large barracks, all
14 of the smaller barracks, one of the messhalls, and the several support
buildings were present in 1957.
2. Warehouse and Storage Area
Ten warehouses and various materials in open storage. No change
from 1957.
3. Heat and Power Plant
This plant, somewhat larger than the one at Dolon Airfield, has
an associated water tower and cooling tower. In 1957 this facility was
under construction.
4. Small Boilerhouse - Probable Heating Plant
This building was not present in 1957 and construction had not
been started.
5. Probable Water Treatment Plant
This plant consists of a fenced area containing one large building,
2 large underground tanks, 2 aboveground tanks, and 5 smaller buildings.
Pipe scars and a trench connect the fenced area with a pumphouse on the
river. This facility was under construction in 1957.
6. Probable Concrete Mixing Plant
This plant, a fairly large one, was complete and operational in
1957.
.7. Warehouse and Storage Area
Consists of two rail-served warehouses, 4 other storage build-
ings, and various materials in open storage. These facilities have been
doubled since 1957.
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8. Wood Products Plant
This plant contains, within a fenced area, one large building, 5
smaller buildings, and extensive open storage for lumber. The plant is
rail served, and was present in 1957.
9. POL Storage Area
This rail-served area contains 2 large underground tanks and
one small building. It was not present in 1957.
10. Laboratory and/or Shop Area
This area contains a variety of buildings and has the appearance
of a laboratory or shop area. It has undergone considerable expansion
since 1957. Buildings in this area are:
3 laboratory or administration-type buildings (1 present in 1957)
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1 shop-type building with a stack (present in 1957)
2 shop-type buildings within a fenced area (not present in 1957)
3 miscellaneous shop-type buildings (2 present in 1957)
1 large masonry water tower (present in 1957)
11. Large Multistory Administration-Type Building U/C
This building was under construction in 1960.
12. Borrow Pit for Sand and Gravel
Located northeast of the town along the river, this pit was present
and active in 1957.
13. SAM Support Area
This facility was in mid stage of construction in 1960. 2/
14. SAM Site
A SAM site in an early stage of construction in 1960 is located
2 nm east of Chagan. 3/
15. Rail Yard and Maintenance Facilities
One nm southwest of Chagan is a group of facilities supporting
rail traffic along the line serving Dolon Airfield, Chagan, and the main
support base for the These facilities
consist of: an engine repair shop, a coaling yard, a turning "Y", water
tower, a 3 track rail yard, and a small village and station area. All were
present in 1957.
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REFERENCES
PHOTOGRAPHY
MAPS
SAC. US Air Target Chart - Series 200, Sheet 0239-6AL, 2d ed, Dec
1960 (S)
USSR. Oblast Series, Semipalatinsk Oblast, 1957 and 1959 ed, Mos-
cow (U)
DOCUMENTS
2.
Surface-to-Air Missile Site Near Dolon Airfield, USSR, PIC/JB-
1031/60, 29 Dec 60, (S
3. Surface-to-Air Missile Support Facility Near Dolon Airfield,
USSR, PIC/JB-1032/60, 29 Dec 60, (S)
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