COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS KERCH/BAGEROVO AIRFIELD, USSR JULY 1956 - AUGUST 1962

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: NGA Records (Formerly NIMA)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78T05439A000200370051-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 23, 2000
• Sequence Number: 51
• Publication Date: July 1, 1963
• Content Type: REPORT

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COMPARATIVE. ANALYSIS KERCH/BAGEROVO AIRFIELDS USSR
This report describes the changes which'
have occurred at Kerch/Bagerovo Airfield,
USSR, since the - TALENT photography
of the area 1/ with principal emphasis on
research and development activities. It is
based primarily on KEYHOLE photography of
This photography, althpugh of
very small scale, is of excellent quality. KEY-
HOLE photography of was also
used, but cloud cover an t e qua ity of this
photography limited photo interpretation ?5X1 D
Kerch/Bagerovo Airfield is located at
45-24N 36-15E on the eastern edge of the
Crimean Peninsula, 8 nautical miles (nm)west-
northwest of Kerch, and approximately 250 nm
across the Black Sea from the Turkish coast
(Figure 1). The town of Bagerovo is adjacent
to the southeast boundary of the airfield. Another
town, Tarasovskiy, is located 3 nm southwest
of the runway.
The airfield has been almost completely
NPIC ..3235 (6.63,
FIGURE 1. 4OCATION OF KERCWBAGEROVO AIRFIELD.
rebuilt since 1943 and encompasses an area
of approximately 6 by 3.5 nm. It consists
of an 11,000 by 260-foot northeast /southwest
concrete runway, a triangular taxiway system,
a maintenance and technical area, storage
facilities, and two administration and housing
areas (Figures 2 and 3). In addition to an
intricate road system, the field is served by
a spur from the Kerch-Dzhankoy rail line
which passes the southern side of the field.
No significant changes are visible in the
permanent facilities such as the runways, taxi-
ways, and parking facilities "since
The photography reveals that air-
craft are pare on the west (item 3)* and
northeastern (item 5) parking aprons. Although
the scale of this photography precludes identi-
fication and an accurate count of the aircraft,
at least three large aircraft are observed on
the west parking apron.1 "
The two administration and housing areas
are located just north bf the town of Bagerovo
and east of Tarasovskiy respectively: The
first and larger of the two areas (item 9)
has had an increase in the number of housing
facilities and barracks, and at least one large
administration-type building has been added
No significant construction has
taken place since that time at the smaller of
the two housing areas (item 16)_
The maintenance and technical area (item
8), located south of the east/west taxiway,
contains two large hangars, numerous shops,
and laboratory/engineering-type buildings. No
significant changes have occuw4 d in this area
A new concrete road connects
the area with the airfield service road which
extends to Tarasovskiy.
-Item numbers in the text are keyed to Figure 2.
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-KERCH'
BAGEROVO
AIRFIELD
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KEY TO ITEM NUMBERS
1. Runway (11,000 by 260 ft) and Crossovers (70 ft wide)
2. Taxiway (70 ft wide)
3. Parking Apron- 940 by 290 ft) and Alert Stand (390 by 270 ft)
4. Parking Apron
5. Parking Apron (1,650 by 290 ft) and Alert Stand (410 by 270 ft),
6. Former Asphalt Runway (6,460 by 170 ft)
7. 'POL Storage Facility
8. Maintenance and Technical Area (6,320 by 1,220 ft)._
9. Administration and Housing Area
10. Probable High-Explosives Storage Facility (2,720 by 850 ft)
11. U/I Area
12. Possible Checkout/Storage Bldgs
13. U/I Installation
14. U/I Objects
15. U/I Area
16. Housing Area
17. Transfer Point
18. U/I Area
19. Aiming Circles
20. Aircraft Silhouettes
21. Probable Ore Sampling Site
22. U/I Area
23. Bunker-type Structure
24. U/I Installation
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A large, secured, probable high-explosives
(HE) storage facility (item 10) is located east
of-; the central parking apron. The facility
contains three large and two small revetted
storage buildings. No significant change has
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The = photography' reveals three small
groups of possible checkout or storage build-
ings (item 12) located east of the north/south
taxiway. The group formerly located near the-
north end of the north/south taxiway is no
longer visible on the _ photography. The
remaining two groups show no significant change.
The road-served, secured, bunker-type struc-
ture (item 23) just north of the southwest
end of the runway is barely discernible on the
Two small structures have
revetted building is visible just southeast of
this facility, and an unidentified -secured area
(item 11) situated west of the probable HE
storage facility contains several new build-
ings.
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been constructed immediately south of the
bunker-type structure. An unidentified area
(item 22) east of the maintenance and technical
area contains one new building. The function
of this area cannot be determined. The only
other secured storage area at the airfield is
the POL storage facility (item. 7), which is
located south of the maintenance and technical
25X1 D area and which shows no change .
None of the storage facilities observed at the
airfield on available photography appear to re-
semble known Soviet nuclear weapons storage
sites.
No evidence could be found on the small-
scale photography available of underground
facilities at, the airfield. The quarry (Figure
2) located east of the airfield probably pro-
vides the field with materials to be used in
new construction. A previously observed uni-
dentified installation (item 13) located im-
mediately north of the quarry contains seven,
buildings. It is connected with the airfield
by a road, and it is also connected with the
quarry by a new road. Thee is no evidence
indicating that this installation'' or the quarry
is being used for underground activities related
to the airfield. Three unidentified objects
(item 14) visible on the Mhotography are
still present on a ridge north of the quarry.
The lack of associated support facilities suggests
that these objects domprise a test facility.
25X1 D Photography shows construction
taking place at- the site formerly occupied by
a state farm (item 15) and at a site just north
pf the Tarasovskiy housing area (item 18).
A new hard-surfaced road now connects the
former state farm with the airfield service
road to Tarasovskiy. A new hard-surfaced
road has. been constructed within the area,
and approximately 12 small additional build-
ings , are now present. Poor image quality
precludes a detailed description and deter-
mination of this site's function. The area
north of Tarasovskiy remains generally as ob-
served in _ A warehouse along the rail-
spur has been dismantled and several new build-
ings have been erected, but no structures are
discernible in the area of the large, rectangular
excavation observed in the center of this site
in _ The excavation itself is no longer
visible, and there are no entrances or under-
ground facilities discernible in this area.
No evidence could be found on the
photography of an engine test stand or related
facilities. Ground scarring 2 nm east-north-
east of the field is probably atf indication of ore
.sampling (item 21) rather than of testing.
The bombing range located northwest of the
airfield contains two aiming circles (item 19):
Although these circles apparently have been re-
conditioned since= they do not appear to
have had much recent use. Eight aircraft
silhouettes (item 20) arranged in two rows
of four-,;" each are located just north of the
aiming circles. A third row of silho ttes,
as well as several miscellaneous targets b-
served on the =photography, are no I ger
visible. No changes are evident at the uni-
dentified installation (item 24) located on high
ground 7,000 feet southeast of the aiming
circles. This installation may be an observation
site associated with the bombing range.
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Mission Date Pass Camera Frames Classification
DOCUMENTS /
1. Air Force Hdqrs. Detailed Photo Intelligence Report No T 58-36, Kerch/Bagerovo Airfield, Dec 58 (TOP
SECRET CHESS)
REQUIREMENT
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