AIR/GROUND STRIKE CANGAMBA AIRFIELD, ANGOLA

Document Type:

CREST [1]

Collection:

NGA Records (Formerly NIMA) [2]

Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST):

CIA-RDP84T00171R000200550001-0

Release Decision:

RIPPUB

Original Classification:

Document Page Count:

Document Creation Date:

December 28, 2016

Document Release Date:

January 25, 2012

Sequence Number:

Case Number:

Publication Date:

August 20, 1983

Content Type:

REPORT

File:

Attachment	Size
CIA-RDP84T00171R000200550001-0.pdf [3]	117.47 KB

Body:

Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/25: CIA-RDP84T00171 R000200550001-0 Warning Notice Intelligence Sources or Methods Involved (WNINTEL) or (D) NATIONAL SECURITY INFORMATION Unauthorized Disclosure Subject to Criminal Sanctions NOFORN- Not Releasable to Foreign Nationals NOCONTRACT- Not Releasable to Contractors or Contractor/Consultants PROPIN- Caution-Proprietary Information Involved ORCON- Dissemination and Extraction of Information Controlled by Originator REL ... This Information has been Authorized for Release to .. . Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/25: CIA-RDP84T00171 R000200550001-0 25X1 Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/25: CIA-RDP84T00171 R000200550001-0 Next 1 Page(s) In Document Denied Iq Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/25: CIA-RDP84T00171 R000200550001-0 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/25: CIA-RDP84T00171 R000200550001-0 SECRET (c) NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC INTERPRETATION CENTER Page 1 Copy 1. SIGNIFICANCE: EVIDENCE OF AN AIR/GROUND STRIKE, POSSIBLY AS A RESULT CF UNITA GROUND OPERATIONS SUPPORTED BY SOUTH AFRICAN COMBAT AIRCRAFT, IS OBSERVED AT CANGAMEA AIRFIELD SINCE Attachment to Z-14866/83 NPIC/PEG (8/83) (2 PART GRAPHIC) AIR/GROUND STRIKE CANGAMBA AIRFIELD, ANGOLA (SWN) 2. REMARKS: THE AIRFIELD HAS BEEN RENDERED INOPERABLE. THE GRADED-EARTH RUNWAY HAS BEEN HEAVILY CRATERED AND ONE CURL HAS BEEN DESTROYED. SEVERAL SMALLER POSSIBLE SATCHEL CHARGE CRATERS ARE IN A LINEAR PATTERN ALONG THE CENTER OF THE RUNWAY AND EXTEND TO BOTH ENDS (GRAPHIC 1). THIS TECHNIQUE OF PLACING SATCHEL CHARGES ON THE RUNWAY HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH PREVIOUS UNITA MILITARY OPERATIONS AGAINST CACO COUTINHO AIRFIELD AND THE AIRFIELD AT LUPIRE MILITARY AREA THE SUPPORT AREA AT THE NORTH END OF THE AIRFIELD HAS ALSO BEEN DESTROYED, AND MOST OF THE VEHICLES PREVIOUSLY PARKED HERE ARE EITHER ABANDONED OR DESTROYED (GRAPHIC 2). (SWN) COLLATERAL INDICATES THAT UNITA FORCES HAVE RECENTLY BEEN ACTIVE IN MOXICO PROVINCE, AND THAT CANGAMBA WAS ATTACKED POSSIBLY THIS IS CONSISTENT WITH 25X1 RECENT SOUTH AFRICAN COMBAT AIRCRAFT DEPLOYMENTS IN NORTHERN NAMIBIA. FOUR CANBERRA TACTICAL/RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT, FOUR BUCCANEER STRIKE/ATTACK AIRCRAFT, AND SIX MIRAGE F-1 FIGHTER/BOMBER WERE DEPLOYED TO GROOTFONTEIN AIRFIELD THESE AIRCRAFT HAD DEPARTED BY 25X1 AIR ORDER-OF-BATTLE THERE IS NORMAL TODAY. 2oX1 GROOTFONTEIN IS A KEY SOUTH AFRICAN BASE WHICH HAS SUPPORTED SOUTH AFRICAN MILITARY OPERATIONS IN ANGOLA. (SWN) CANGAMBA AIRFIELD IS IN SOUTHERN MOXICO PROVINCE, 130 NM EAST-NORTHEAST OF MENONGUE AND 330 NM NORTHEAST OF GROOTFONTEIN AIRFIELD. (SWN) 25X1 25X1 These notes have been prepared for briefing purposes only and should not be used for detailed ana- lytical work. Their use should be restricted to the particular briefing board(s) they were prepared for and must be considered valid only for the reporting period as indicated by the date of issue. WARNING NOTICE Intelligence Sources and Methods Involved SECRET 25X1 ;;f Declassified in Part -Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/25: CIA-RDP84T00171 R000200550001-0