THE TRANSFER OF U.S. TUNGSTEN CARBIDE TECHNOLOGY TO THE USSR AND ITS MILITARY APPLICATION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83M00914R001200090041-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Sequence Number: 41
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Releas
7/04/18: CIA-RDP83M009 4ROO1200090041-9 25X1
The Transfer of U.S. Tungsten Carbide Technology
to the USSR and its Military Application
1. New intelligence confirms that the Soviets intend to use tungsten-
based powdered-metallurgical technology acquired from the West to improve
the lethality of their kinetic-energy anti-tank ammunition. Furthermore,
we believe this effort derives from Dresser Industries sales to the USSR.
Soviet researchers have successfully adapted Western manufacturing process
know-how to harden a Soviet domestic tungsten-based alloy for use in
kinetic-energy penetrators with improved mechanical properties. The
acquired manufacturing process know-how involved includes specifications
for making tungsten-alloy powders, as well as molding and sintering
techniques.
2. The nature of the technology involved, and the timing of
successfu' Soviet efforts to harden their domestic alloy, suggest to us
that the foreign manufacturing know-how the Soviets acquired probably
was supplied as part of the drill bit turnkey plant built by Dresser
Industries in Kuybyshev, USSR. Technical specifications Dresser Industries
provided to the USSR during 1978-79 included the know-how to vary precisely
the composition of tungsten-carbide powders used to make sintered drill
bit cones. Denial of further start-up assistance at the Kuybyshev plant
probably would stretch out the time required, for the Soviets to assimilate
the technology for volume production of improved kinetic-energy
penetrators.