U-2 RECONNAISSANCE MISSION C495C FLOWN 18 SEPTEMBER 1965

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP89B00709R000100250002-9
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
T
Document Page Count: 
13
Document Creation Date: 
December 27, 2016
Document Release Date: 
June 14, 2012
Sequence Number: 
2
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
September 30, 1965
Content Type: 
REPORT
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PDF icon CIA-RDP89B00709R000100250002-9.pdf326.78 KB
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/14: CIA-RDP89B00709R000100250002-9 TOP SECRETI I- IDEALIST Preliminary Report U-2 RECONNAISSANCE MISSION C495C flown 18 September 1965 30 September 1965 CENTRAL !N T ELLIGENCE AGENCY Directorate of Science and Technology TOP SECRET - IDEA LIST 25X1 25X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/14: CIA-RDP89B00709R000100250002-9 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/14: CIA-RDP89B00709R000100250002-9 TOP SECRETI I - IDEALIST CONTENTS Page MISSION HIGHLIGHTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BACKGROUND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 ANALYTICAL FINDINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Air defense reactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 E lint analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 TABLES 7- 25X1 25X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/14: CIA-RDP89B00709R000100250002-9 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/14: CIA-RDP89B00709R000100250002-9 ~Lo Yan O NG CF10U -fen6 K Shang C (:hoi~ k ULI (PG S' .n inn O ~isang ran 0 Chu chow 0 sh,,n van F.0 Cnd,n,,ng TOP SECRET 0 Sucho. CANON O HONG KUNG .1, ,MACH FIGURE 1 SOUTH CHINA MISSION C495C 18 SEPTEMBER 1965 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/14: CIA-RDP89B00709R000100250002-9 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/14: CIA-RDP89B00709R000100250002-9 TOP SECRET I- IDEALIST MISSION HIGHLIGHTS .Mission C495C, flown 18 September 1965, was over the Formosa Strait area of Communist China for 46 minutes. The U-2 obtained photographic coverage - and 25X1 issi a-re ate instal- other targets. No new missile site or missile-relate 25X1 lations were reported. 25X1 least two and possibly five fighters were airborne in response to the mission. There is no evidence that an intercept of the U-2 was attempted. There were no indications of a surface-to-air missile threat to the mission. TOP SE ET IDEALIST 25X1 25X1 25X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/14: CIA-RDP89B00709R000100250002-9 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/14: CIA-RDP89B00709R000100250002-9 TOP SECRETI ~ IDEALIST Preliminary Report U-2 RECONNAISSANCE MISSION C495C flown 18 September 1965 BACKGROUND Mission C495C successfully overflew the Formosa Strait area of mainland China on 18 September 1965. 25X1 the mission U-2 took off 25X1 from Taiwan at 0130Z and crossed into denied territory north of Foochow at 0251Z. Turning south, the aircraft paralled the coast- line to a point just south of Swatow, exited the mainland at 0337Z and returned to base at 0445Z. The total flight time was 3 hours and 15 minutes. Forty-six minutes were spent over Communist China. In addition to the "B" camera configuration, the U-2 carried Elint collection systems 3 and 6, and 9B, lZB, and 13A defensive systems. The weather was forecast from Category I (clear) to variable II (scattered clouds). Pilot observation confirmed the validity of this forecast. TOP SECRET - IDEALIST 25X1 25X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/14: CIA-RDP89B00709R000100250002-9 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/14: CIA-RDP89B00709R000100250002-9 TOP SECRETI I- IDEALIST ANALYTICAL FINDINGS Fighter Reactions -- At least two and possibly five fighters were airborne in response to the mission. The fighters were never in the immediate vicinity of the U-2, although, two fighters did cross the mission track at a lower altitude several minutes after the U-2 had passed. Based on track information and performance it appears that the fighters were MiG-17s or MiG-19s. Missile Reactions -- There were no valid indications of surface- to-air missile (SAM) or air-to-air (AAM) missile threats to the mission. While over denied territory, the U-2 continuously intercepted signals from early warning, ground control intercept, height finder, and AAA fire control radars known to be deployed in the Formosa Strait area of Communist China (see table 1). However, no P-band intercepts were present due to a probable system malfunction aboard the U-2. The preliminary field readout of the Elint obtained TOP SECRET - IDEALIST 25X1 25X1 25X1 25X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/14: CIA-RDP89B00709R000100250002-9 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/14: CIA-RDP89B00709R000100250002-9 25X1 TOP SECRET I- IDEALIST by the mission did not show any evidence of hostile airborne inter- cept (AI) or FAN SONG SAM radars. A preliminary study of the mission photography shows that 94 targets were covered in nearly cloud-free photography, including 11 airfields, 12 naval facilities, 53 military installations, 3 elec- tronics facilities, and 15 miscellaneous industrial complexes. 25X1 25X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/14: CIA-RDP89B00709R000100250002-9 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/14: CIA-RDP89B00709R000100250002-9 TOP SECRET I- IDEALIST Radars Deployed in the Formosa Strait Area of China and Intercepted by Mission C495C Early Warning Ground Control Intercept Fire Control FIRE CAN WHIFF 25X1 25X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/14: CIA-RDP89B00709R000100250002-9 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/14: CIA-RDP89B00709R000100250002-9 TOP SECRET TRINE - IDEALIST BYE-35434/65 Table 2 COMOR Targets Covered by Mission C495C Ching Yang Airfield Hu An Airfield Lung Chi Airfield Lung Tien Airfield Fu Chow Nan Tai Airfield Swatow Northeast Airfield Hsia Men Naval Base Shan Tou Naval Base Shan Tou Shipyard Hai Men Hsien Yu Army Barracks SE Chao An Army Barracks Hung Lai Army Barracks N Tung Hou Army Barracks Tung An Army Barracks Lo Chi Army Barracks SSW Lung Chi Army Barracks TOP SECRET TRINE - IDEALIST No Foreign Dissem Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/14: CIA-RDP89B00709R000100250002-9 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/14: CIA-RDP89B00709R000100250002-9 TOP SECRET TRINE - IDEALIST BYE-35434/65 Table 2 (Continued) Keng Wei Army Barracks N Fu Chou Army Supply Depot Fu Chou Army Barracks N Tan Yang Army Barracks SE An Hai Army Barracks Hsiang Kou Army Barracks Chiang Kou Barracks Lien Chang Hq 84th Han Chiang Army Barracks N Pu Tien Army Barracks NNE San Tu Ao Naval Base Chieh Yang Barracks Fu Ching Army Barracks Nan An Army Barracks Nan Ao Tao Island Military Installations San Tu Ao Military Installations Nan Tai Storage Area TOP SECRET TRINE - IDEALIST No Foreign Dissem Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/14: CIA-RDP89B00709R000100250002-9 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/14: CIA-RDP89B00709R000100250002-9 >X1 TOP SECRET SOURCES This preliminary technical evaluation of a U-2 reconnaissance mission flown over Communist China on 18 September 1965 was developed for the 303 Committee by the following elements of the Directorate of Science and Technology: Office of Scientific Intelligence Office of Special Activities Office of Elint The evaluations are base on information and data provided by: Joint Sobe Sigint Processing Center, Okinawa National Photographic Interpretation Center, Washington, D. C. 67th Technical Reconnaissance Squadron, Yokota, Japan PACOM Elint Center, Fuchu, Japan Graphics support has been provided by the Office of Basic Intelligence of the Directorate of Intelligence. CRET 25X1 25X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/14: CIA-RDP89B00709R000100250002-9 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/14: CIA-RDP89B00709R000100250002-9 SE CRE T 21 September 1965 OCI-2664/65 MEMORANDUM FOR: Director of Current Intelligence THROUGH Acting Chief, Sino-Soviet Bloc Area FROM Acting Chief, China and Asian Satellites Division SUBJECT Preliminary Evaluation of GRC Mission 495C Flown on 18 September 1965 1. This mission was flown in the Taiwan Strait coastal area. It was the first mission to be flown in this area since Mission C405C flown on 21 July 1965. A number of military targets including most of the coastal airfields, barracks, and naval installations were photographed but no developments of major signifi- cance were noted. No new missile sites or missile related installations were reported. The photo analysis was done in the field and is subject to review by NPIC. 2. There were at least three and possibly five jet fighters noted in reaction to the mission aircraft but no contact was made. Airfields 3. Eleven airfields were photographed but of these only two are currently operational. These are Lungchi near the Amoy area and Nantai Airfield at Foochow. This mission disclosed 13 MIG-15/17 type aircraft at Lungchi. The official AOB carries 25 at this field. At Nantai airfield one MIG-19 and eight other MIG-15/17 aircraft were in evidence. Previous coverage of 21 July 1965 disclosed 18 MIG-15/17s there. Also, there had been as many as 17 IL-10 old piston ground attack aircraft there which apparently are no longer there. None of the other airfields covered have been occupied for several years and two of them, Kaochi and Machiang, in the Amoy area have been abandoned for several years. GROUP 1 Excluded from automatic downgrading and declassification SECRET II Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/14: CIA-RDP89B00709R000100250002-9 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/14: CIA-RDP89B00709R000100250002-9 SECRET 4. A large number of barracks and supply instal- lations were photographed but no unusual levels of acti- vity were reported. There has been little or no change in the facilities themselves since last covered in photography. 5. A number of naval bases and shipyards were photographed. Naval order-of-battle changes were noted at San Tu Ao Naval Base and at Shantou (Swatow). This mission disclosed no ships at either of these installa- tions. Previous coverage of San Tu Ao on 21 July 1965 disclosed at least 16 patrol craft including six motor torpedo boats. In coverage of 24 August 1965 there were four Kronshtadt patrol craft and two motor torpedo boats at Shantou. Prepared by: SECRET Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/14: CIA-RDP89B00709R000100250002-9