CIA Intelligence Information Report - Sary Shagan, USSR (1973)

CIA · 1973 · Sary Shagan · Document

CIA Intelligence Information Report - Sary Shagan, USSR (1973) is indexed as a CIA record with incident date 1973 and location Sary Shagan. Declassified CIA Intelligence Information Report (distributed December 1973) based on a former Soviet citizen's account of the Sary Shagan weapons testing range in Kazakhstan. Most of the report concerns Soviet missile systems the System-75/SA-2 and the System-300/Aldan (ABM-1 GALOSH) anti-missile warheads and rumored laser research. It also records that, on one evening in late summer 1973, the source observed an unidentified bright green circular object in the sky west of Site 7; within 10-15 seconds the green circle widened and several concentric green rings formed around it before the color faded, with no sound.

Notable / anomalous element

• According to hearsay, ecperiments involving laser weapons were being conducted at an unknown location at the range. (native PDF text, page 2)
• While watching a sport com petition between Canada and the.U::iSR on television, he stepped outside for some air and observed an.unidentified sharp (bright) green circular object or a s in the sky. (native PDF text, page 3)
• The altitude of the object was undeter inable. (Field Comment; Although there were no clouds in the sky that even1n 6, Source believed that the green mass would have been hiiher than cloud level. (native PDF text, page 3)
• Source could not estimate the diameter of the object.) Within 10 to 15 seconds of observ tion, the green circle widened and w'ith'in a brief period of time several ireen concentric circles formed around the mass. (native PDF text, page 3)

Details

• I Summary: This report provides limited info:rza.tion on the Sarr shagan weapons testirtg r ge, to in lude facilities, o:rk 6:re,. security fencing, the re onal headquarters (V/Ch 0.3080)_ ud warhead checkout unit (V 03142). (native PDF text, page 1)
• Also included ii U i ed information on the followin1: System-75 [SA 2) and Syt ea--300/ Aldan [ BP:1-1 GAL SH] "'arheads; rumored laser reset"rch; and iua un1dent1f1ed aerial phenomenon. (native PDF text, page 1)
• According to rumor, the missile as for antimissile defense (nrotivo raketna a oborona PRO). (Fie}d Comment: Sour-:e 1dent1fied the System oa;Alctan m1ss1le in avafj able rererence materi?.l as the ABMI/GALOSH.) li. (native PDF text, page 2)
• The warhead for the Sy5tem-300/Aldan missile was about two meters long and 80 to 100 certimeters 1n diameter. (native PDF text, page 2)
• The war head weighed approximately 400 kilograms, and it ontained an unrecalled number of black cassettes, 45 x 12 centimeters, which housed an unknown.number of meta] balls (shariki). (native PDF text, page 2)
• Warheads for the Sys:em-75 [SA-2) missile had approximately 100 grey cassettes, 30 x 7 centimeters, each of which held about 200 to 300 me Lal balls, each no more than 1.5 centimeters in diameter. (Field Comment: Source had no knowledge regarding nuclear warheads. (native PDF text, page 2)
• He opined that all systems could be equipped ith nuclear warheads. (native PDF text, page 2)
• each of which held about 200 to 300 me Lal balls, each no more than 1.5 centimeters in diameter. (Field Comment: Source had no knowledge regarding nuclear warheads. (native PDF text, page 2)

Tags: CIA, 1973, Sary Shagan, Soviet Union, Missile, Weapons, Spherical object, Kazakhstan, Aerial phenomena