SPHERICAL CURTAIN ANTENNA ARRAY FACILITIES PODOLSK AND ODESSA, USSR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: NGA Records (Formerly NIMA)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78T04759A001200010074-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 10, 2011
• Sequence Number: 74
• Publication Date: June 1, 1965
• Content Type: REPORT

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HOTOGRAPHI (INTERPRETATION REPO T
SPHERICAL CURTAIN ANTENNA
ARRAY FACILITIES
PO DO LSK AND O D ESSA, USSR
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SPHERICAL CURTAIN ANTENNA ARRAY FACILITIES
PODOLSK AND ODESSA, USSR
has revealed a new antenna
installation at o o s , approximately 24 nauti-
cal miles (nm) south-southwest of Moscow
(Figure 1). Subsequent analysis has shown that
the antenna array at this facility has a configura-
tion similar to but smaller than the spherical
curtain antenna arrays previously reported at
Taldom and Nikolayev. 1/ On photography of
an additional in-
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BALTIC LENINGRAD
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stallation-- situated near Odessa and in the early
stages of construction--was noted to hear n
strong resemblance to the one at Podo i sk
This report presents a detailed photographic
analysis of the facility at Fodolsk and a morc
concise description of the facility under con
struction near Odessa; it then very briefly sure
marizes, for the convenience of the reader, th,,
previously published comprehensive analysis or
the Taldom-Nikolayev arrays; 1/ it concludes
with a comparison of the antenna arrays them
selves.
Associated Krug Sites
A Krug high frequency direction- tin(lin-4
(HF DF) site, just to the north of the FodolsK
facility (Figure 2), was noted during the origina 1
scan but was not at first thought to be of any par
ticular significance. However, when it was sub
sequently observed that the Odessa facility also
had a Krug site situated in its immediately vicini
ty (Figure 4), and that in both instances the new
facilities apparently shared a common suppoi t
area with the Krug site, then these collocations
assumed additional importance and the new fa
cilities are now considered to be associated with
the Krug sites.
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The HF spherical curtain antenna array
facility at Podolsk (55-22-20N 37 -27-50E) is
surrounded by a low, pentagon-shaped wail
measuring 780 feet on each side and apparently
constructed in a dike shape (Figures 2 and 3 .
Podolsk Krug DF Site Klimovsk
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FIGURE 1. LOCATION OF ANTENNA FACILITIES.
is 5, 875 feet north, and a pro a e suppoi t 25X1
are s approximately 5,000 feet northeast; indi
cations are that the probable support area serves
)OD
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PODOLSK
KRUG DF SITE
KLIMOVSK
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both installations.
Inside the walled area of the facility are 3
probably self-supporting lattice-type towers
(Figure 3, items A, B, and C), each 130 feet high,
with 14 thin masts, also 130 feet high, uniformly
spaced 65 feet apart in 2 slight arcs between the
lattice-type towers. The small scale of the pho-
tography precludes positive evidence of tower or
mast guying, or of the design of any complex
PROBABLE
CONCRETE
PAD 90' X 70'
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2-rail track
Road
Trail
Wall
^ Probably self-supporting lattice-type
tower (130' high)
? Probable footing for lattice-type tower
Probable feed tower
Mast (130' high)
500 0 1000
FEET (APPROXIMATE)
rigging between the towers and masts. There is
also a probable footing for another tower (item
D), but no sign of any masts between there and
Tower C.
Probable self-supporting feed towers (items
E and F) are positioned opposite each arc on a 2 -
rail track laid out parallel to lines drawn between
the 3 towers, A to B and B to C. The calculated
ratio of (1) the distance from the probable feed
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tower to the center arc- mast and (2) the assumed
radius of a circle formed by the arc of masts, is
46:100, or 46 percent.
The orientation of the array between lowers
A and B is of that between 'l'owers
placed between C and D, its orientation would
be
Immediately west of a line between Towers
B and C is a probable concrete pad measuring
90 by 70 feet. A probable control building (item
1), 120 by 35 feet, is in the approximate center
of the walled area; the shadow cast by this
building indicates that the eastern portion of the
building is higher than the rest. Approximately
2,350 feet east-northeast of Building 1 is a T-
shaped building (item 2) which is possibly another
control building for the antenna system. The
main section of this second building measures
145 by 45 feet, but mensuration could not be
accomplished on the wing because of poor build-
ing-corner definition. A probable conduit paral-
lels the road into the facility but its exact
origin or terminus cannot be definitely estab-
lished from available photography. Also, on
each side of the approach road approximately
1,330 feet northeast of Building 1 there is an
earth mound supporting an unidentified object.
The probable HF spherical curtain antenna
array facility near Odessa (Figure 4) is situ-
ated at 46-26-30N 30-30-OOE, approximately
2,400 feet north of Odessa Krug DF Site No 1
and abou! 8 nm west of
Odessa. The facility is in the early stages
of construction, with no towers, masts, or
antennas yet visible. However, although no
absolute statements concerning intended con-
figuration can be made, all available data and
appearances strongly suggest i hat, when com-
pleted, this facility will be similar to the one
at Podolsk. Presently possible mensuration
is shown in Figure 4, together with likely
future antenna orientations. l'his facility also
has a probable central control building similar
to that at Podolsk both in dimensions and con-
figuration (i.e., in having a raised section at I
end of the roof). Approximately 1,500 feet to
the northeast is a support area and HF com-
munications site, which probably serves both
the Krug site and the antenna facility.
TALDOM-NIKOLAYEY FACILITIES
Six antennas of an unusual configuration
(spherical curtain array) were noted some
while ago at broadcast/communications facil-
ities near Taldom and Nikolayev (Figure 1).
These antennas, of which the larger and more
complex Taldom facility has 4 and the smaller
Nikolayev facility only 2, consist basically of
either 9 or 13 guyed towers arranged ina slight
are that faces a self-supporting feed tower
which is either fixed or mounted on a low
gantry-like structure on a 2-rail track laid
out parallel to a line drawn between the end
towers of the arc (the longest chord). "These
general characteristics are shown in the upper
portion of Figure 5 (which is re-run intact
from the earlier report, NPIC/R-901, 1/ and
happens to illustrate a 13-tower array, of
which there are 2 as compared to 4 - - 3 at
Taldom and I at Nikolayev -- having 9 towers).
COMPARISON OF ANTENNA ARRAYS
As shown graphically in Figure 5, the
"Taldom-Nikolayev arrays (top) and the Podolsk
arrays (bottom) have a striking resemblance
(the Odessa facility is not yet far enough ad-
vanced in its construction to be considered
further). More specifically, it can be pointed
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out that the Podolsk arrays contain exactly of this arc is naturally smaller at Podolsk,
the same number of towers/masts as 4 of nevertheless the calculated ratio of the radius
the 6 Taldom-Nikolayev arrays, and that in and of the feed tower to center arc tower/mast
all cases, the towers/masts ar:, laid out In distance remains approximately 46 units to 100
a slight arc. Although the assumed radius units in all cases.
FIGURE 5. PERSPECTIVE VIEWS OF SPHERICAL CURTAIN ANTENNA ARRAYS. (NOTE: both drawings are not at same scale.)
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As has been mentioned, the Taldom-
Nikolayev antennas are larger in actual
measurements. But, as shown in Table 1,
the Podolsk arrays equate almost exactly to
one third of several significant Taldom-
Nikolayev dimensions, namely the separation
distance between individual towers/masts in
the arc, the height of these towers/masts,
and the longest-chord distance between end
towers.
The most noticeable difference found in a
detailed photographic observation of these
arrays was that the end towers at Podolsk
appear considerably larger in cross section
than those at Taldom-Nikolayev. A possible
explanation for this may be that less extensive
guying is used on the smaller Podolsk arrays
than is required for the larger Taldom-Nikolayev
arrays.
In regard to frequency, it is believed that
the antenna arrays at Taldom-Nikolayev are
designed to operate in the HF range, a con-
clusion suggested by their overall appearance
and arrangement, and by the apparent large
size of both illumination (feed source) and
antenna aperture. 1/ Even though the Podolsk
facility is smaller, it would still appear likely
that it also operates within the HF band, though
possibly with a somewhat higher range than
the Taldom-Nikolayev arrays.
ONE-
THIRD
AVERAGE
Antenna
Location
Taldom (1)** 9
Taldom (3)** 9
Taldom (4)** 9
Nikolayev (5)** 9
Taldom -
Nikolayev
Longest
Chord*
(ft)
330 1,475
395 1,470
330 1,185
320 1,-135
Podolsk (A-B) 9 65 130 480
Podolsk (B-C) 9 65 130 480
*Straight-line distance between end towers.
**Refers to numbering used in previous report. I.
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DIA. ITS Air Target Chart, Series 200, Sheet 0167-5HL, 2d ed, Apr 33, scale 1:200,00 (SECRET)
Odesaa
SAC. US Air Target Chart, Series 2Ou. Sheet 0250-8HL, 3d ed, Sep 62, scale 1:200,000 (SECRET)
1. NPIC. R-901/64, Unusually Conj;riured Antennacr at Facilities Near Ta%i/or2 and Nikolaye z', Oct 64 (TOP
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