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********************* Russia Aerospace Guide *********************
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No. 3, July 1994
This document may be copied only in its
entirety with no changes. No fee may be charged for distribution.
No broadcast distribution please.
***** ANNOUNCEMENT *****
At the end of 1994 a reassesment of the subscription policy,
content and format of the Russian Aerospace Guide will be made.
Currently subscription is free on request to active researchers.
***** Content *****
Russian contractor team meets with Kennedy Space Center
counterparts
Russian Launchers
Russia and its Near Abroad - Conflict or Cooperation?
Cosmonaut No. 0
MiG
Soviet Reach for the Moon
Teal Group Corp.
The Sputnik Challenge
Space Directory
Red Mercury?
Novisti Kosmonautica
Aviation and Space News
Space Bulletin
Why We didn't Fly to the Moon
Acoustic Weapons
Beria: Stalin's First Lieutenant
WHERE ARE THE BAIKONUR VISIT REPORTS?
More LH Airliners
"How to Profit from the Coming Russian Boom"
L'Astronautique Sovietique
The System: An Insiders Life in Soviet Politics
Under the Red Star: Luftwaffe Aircraft in the Soviet Air Force
****** News ******
Russian contractor team meets with Kennedy Space Center
counterparts
Russian officials preparing for the second Shuttle-Mir docking
mission are meeting with their Kennedy Space Center counterparts
during the week of June 6 -- 10.
The five-member Russian delegation represents NPO-Energia,
under contract to the Russian Space Agency for the docking system
which will be required for the second through tenth Space Shuttle-
Mir missions. A different docking setup is planned for the first
Space Shuttle-Mir flight, STS-71 in May 1995; NPO-Energia is a
subcontractor to orbiter manufacturer Rockwell International,
Space Systems Division, for this hardware. In the first docking,
the Mir space station will have to be reconfigured, with a robot
arm on Mir moving the Kristall module to accommodate the orbiter
and the docking setup.
To avoid having to reconfigure Mir for each of the remaining
nine docking flights, NPO-Energia designed modifications for the
docking mechanism, including a four-meter long docking module
which will provide the needed clearances between the orbiter and
Mir. The modifications will be made by NASA and NPO-Energia at KSC
following the orbiter Atlantis' return from STS-71.
During their week-long visit to KSC, the Russians met with the
Launch Site Support Team, consisting of representatives from all
areas of the space center -- payloads, safety, security,
facilities, operations and scheduling, and Shuttle. The agenda for
the visit was written in Russian and English and began, "We want
to welcome you, our friends, to the John F. Kennedy Space Center.
We are looking forward to processing the Docking Module and to a
successful mission."
Topics of discussion ranged from the processing flow at KSC
for the docking module to the language or languages in which
paperwork will be written. Also discussed were the solar arrays
which will be delivered to Mir during the second docking flight,
STS-74 in October 1995. Prototypes of the arrays were recently
delivered to NPO-Energia in Russia for validation.
The Russians were also taken on comprehensive tours of the
facilities where the docking module will be processed, beginning
with the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility in the KSC
Industrial Area and continuing north to the Orbiter Processing
Facility, where the module will be installed in the payload bay of
Atlantis.
Source: NASA, June 9, 1994, KSC Release No. 94 - 62
Contributor - Dennis Newkirk
Russian Launchers
"Russian Launchers" an album advertised last year as a set of
drawings of all booster types needs funding. Peter Gorin has
discovered that the album is not being produced and funding is
uncertain.
Contributor - Dennis Newkirk & Peter Gorin
Russia and its Near Abroad - Conflict or Cooperation?
Janes Intelligence Review and the Center for Defense Studies
is holding a conference on Sept. 1-2, 1994 at the Queen Elizabeth
II Conference Center, London. Topics include:
- The Russian Military in Transition - military doctrine, force
structure, nuclear policy, interventional capabilities, tactical
developments
- Military Relations between Russia and its Neighbors - Baltics,
Central Asia, Transcaucasia, Ukraine
Contact: Janes Information Group, 163 Brighton Rd. Coulsdon,
Surrey, CR5 2NH, UK (Fax 81763 1005) Cost: $300-405.
Contributor - Dennis Newkirk
Cosmonaut No. 0
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists May/June 1994 edition
contains an article and interview about some test subjects of the
Institute of Medical-Biological Problems. While interesting it is
hardly complete and very brief on facts and statistics.
Contributor - Dennis Newkirk & Glen Swanson
MiG
"MiG: Fifty Years of Secret Design" by Belyakov & Marmain is
a new book on MiG design. I looked at it briefly and didn't see
much not already covered a few years ago in "MiG OKB" by Butowski
and Miller which I highly recommend. Both are available from
Zenith Books, an excellent aviation book seller. Contact Zenith
Books, PO Box 1, Osceola, WI, 54020, (800-826-6600 or 715-294-
3345, FAX 715-294-4448). A periodic 80 page catalog is available.
Contributor - Dennis Newkirk
Soviet Reach for the Moon
Nicholas Johnson's "Soviet Reach for the Moon: The L-1 and L-
3 Manned Lunar Programs and the Story of the N-1 'Moon Rocket'" is
finally available from Cosmos Books, Ste 106-381, 4200 Wisconsin
Ave, Washington D.C., 20016. Please note that the color picture of
2 N-1's on the pad is a doctored photo, not a picture of an
actual event and not identified as such.
Contributor - Dennis Newkirk & James Oberg
Teal Group Corp.
I had the fortune of talking with Teal Group president
William Storey at the recent AFCEA conference in D.C. I was able
to briefly review a few of their sample Briefing binders. The
information that follows comes off Teal Group literature.
"Teal Group is a team of experienced analysts and service
professionals founded in 1987 to research and publish timely,
accurate information on the aerospace and defense industry. Our
products are designed to fulfill the requirements of executives,
strategic planners, market researchers, government officials, ad
anyone else that needs to be kept abreast of the latest defense
and aerospace business. Teal Group Gathers, classifies, and
analyzes information from a wide range of sources. To the data
Teal group adds insightful analysis, as well as 10 year production
and funding forecasts. Further, our analysts are always available
to answer your questions and help you find the information you
need to help you perform your job. Our reports are available on a
weekly, monthly, or customized basis, and can be purchased in hard
copy or on computer diskette for either the IBM PC (or PC
compatibles) or Apple Macintosh, formatted for many popular
software packages."
- World Military & Civil Aircraft Briefing
"Comprising reports encompassing more than 300 programs, this
is a monthly updated binder service that covers the world market
for military and civil aircraft, from Jet-fighters to jumbo jets.
It provides comprehensive data and expert Teal Group market
analysis of the programs, and includes subcontractor information,
prime contract awards, detailed US funding histories lO-year
finding and production forecasts, and world inventories,
Specifications, executive agencies, orderbooks, and cost
information also are provided. A valuable aspect of the service is
the market overview section. The overviews focus on the
consolidated production forecasts of the various market segments.
They are updated every quarter and are also available on diskette
in a variety of spreadsheet formats. Free access to the analysts
is included with the subscription."
- World Missile Briefing
"This monthly updated binder service focuses on the world
markets for missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, and smart
munitions including coverage of more than 250 individual programs.
There is no wider or more in depth market intelligence service on
these topics available. World Missiles Briefing provides
comprehensive data and expert Teal Group market analysis for each
program, plus other important information including
subcontractors, prime contract awards, detailed finding histories,
and I0-year funding and production forecasts. The service also
gives you the specifications, executive agencies, and program
management on each program. Market overviews covering all the
major segments are updated every quarter and also are available on
diskette. Free access to tho analysts is included with the
subscription."
- World Space Systems Briefing
"This monthly updated binder service covers the fast-evolving
market opportunities on the High Frontier. The focus of the
service is to identify and analyze emerging programs and services
with an eye toward helping contractors get in on the bottom floor.
Other services give you the history-we tell you what will be
happening. Coverage includes expendable launch vehicles and upper
stages, manned systems, all varieties of payloads, ballistic
missile defense and other military space programs (both US and
international), and world spaceports. The keystone of World Space
Systems is our unique Mission Model. In this we compile all
identified possible payloads, along with launch dates, launch
vehicles, and launch sites. Free access to the analysts is
included with the subscription."
- World Electronics Briefing
- Defense & Aerospace Companies Briefing
- Defense & Aerospace Agencies Briefing
- Defense Business Briefing Newsletter
- Defense Business Briefing on Diskette
- Pentagon Budget Briefing
Prices range from $185 for the Pentagon Budget Briefing to
around $1000 for most of the others. Contact: Teal Group Corp,
3900 University Dr. Ste. 220, Fairfax, VA 22030.
Contributor - Dennis Newkirk
The Sputnik Challenge
"The Sputnik Challenge", by Robert Divine, Oxford University
Press, 1993. Yet another book on Sputnik. This book focuses on the
post Sputnik response of the US administration and not pre-Sputnik
days. Seems to have very little on Soviet actions.
Contributor - Dennis Newkirk
Space Directory
"1994 US Space Directory", by Scott Sacknoff, Space
Publications, PO Box 5752, Bethesda, MD, 20824-5752. This book is
totally focused in US companies in the space industry, and is a
bit pricey.
Contributor - Dennis Newkirk
Red Mercury?
There are apparently a few different rumors that have some
basis in fact. They include a high energy chemical explosive which
would make smaller fusion weapons easier to make; another claims
Red Mercury is a liquid and easily shaped to form the trigger for
a atomic bomb, in addition some aspect of its design may also make
it a source of neutrons aiding the trigger mechanism. Apparently
the jury is still out on this one as most 'experts' cannot
disprove it without more information.
Contributor - Dennis Newkirk
Novisti Kosmonautica
Novisti Kosmonautica or 'Space News' is published by
Videokosmos space information center in Moscow, Funded by a group
of space enthusiasts in September 1990. Videokosmos aims to
popularize space through television, radio and the press. The
center has made over 50 historic, documentary and publicity video
films on the space program on orders from leading space
enterprises such as NPO Energia, NPO Lavochkin, KB Salyut, NPO
Mashinostroyeniye. A documentary series by Videokosmos called "Red
Space" was aired by Russian television in 1993. Videokomos also
broadcasts weekly space updates on Russian domestic radio.
Publication of Novisti Kosmonautica (NK) began in August 1991. It
started out as a 6 sheet newsletter and has since evolved into an
elaborate 50 page magazine, appearing twice per month. With the
apparent discontinuation of Aviatsia i Kosmonavtika, NK now is the
only remaining dedicated Russian space periodical. each issue
covers Russian and foreign development that took place in the two
week period mentioned indicated on the cover. Therefore the issues
appear several weeks after the actual cover date. People
subscribing to NK with the sole intention of receiving a colorful
magazine such as Spaceflight will be disappointed, NK is a small
format publication with only some poor quality B&W pictures.
However the informative quality of NK more than compensates for
the lack of photographs. Each issue devotes much attention to
Russian and US manned space activities , beginning with a
comprehensive day to day account of activities aboard the Mir
space station. These are provided by Videokosmos' permanent
correspondent at MIssion Control who also has the opportunity to
interview the crew about twice a week. With the exception of BBC
summaries (which translate brief ITAR-TASS mission updates) this
is just about the only way to my knowledge to find out what the
Mir cosmonauts do in space (major newspapers such as Isvestiya
nowadays only mention the launch and landing unless something
exceptional happens in orbit). Soyuz launches are covered by NK
from Baikonur cosmodrome. Besides the Mir mission updates, NK
regularly published Mir launch and crew manifests and gives the
latest news from the Cosmonaut Training Center. Equal attention is
paid to the US Space Shuttle program, with detailed updates on
flight preparations and mission reports that are far more
comprehensive than those in magazines such as Spaceflight and
AW&ST. NK also provides detailed biographies of each newly
launched Shuttle and Mir crew. The international space station
also receives wide attention with many of the articles focusing on
actual hardware developments, a welcome change from the more
politically oriented articles in Space News. As far as the
unmanned scene is concerned, non-Russian developments generally
get about the same coverage as in Western magazines, but Russian
unmanned launches are analyzed in much greater detail. NK
publishes the official ITAR-TASS reports of all unmanned CIS
launches and provides background commentary. For routine military
Cosmos launches NK apparently relies on Western sources to
speculate on the missions nature. In 1993 however NK gave what
appears to be the first detailed description of Russian formerly
top secret first and second generation early warning satellites.
New types of civilian missions such as Gals, Koronas, etc. usually
are the subject of lengthy articles. Good updates are also
provided on developments at the Baikonur and Plesetsk cosmodromes
which NK correspondents regularly visit. Three times a year NK
presents a very detailed convenient table of world space launches
that have taken place in the past 4 months.
One thing missing in NK are elaborate articles on Soviet space
history, which do not really fall within the magazines scope. The
main aim of the magazine is to furnish information on recent space
activities, although in many cases this information does provide
an interesting historical insight into certain projects. It seems
that coverage of space history was mainly left over to the now
discontinued Aviatsia i Kosmonavtika, to which Videokosmos
sometimes contributed (the two magazines in many ways complimented
one another). Videokosmos has been working for some time on 10
reference books, the first volume of which will deal with manned
space history form 1961-1991. This volume is said to include "the
first color pictures of the Soviet lunar lander, the Almaz space
station, the TKS (Heavy Cosmos) modules and the N-1 moon rocket".
Publication has been repeatedly postponed due to financial reasons
and it is still unclear when the first volume will appear.
Videokosmos now charges $65 for a one year subscription to NK
for readers abroad (although this many change due to inflation).
the safest way to deposit money is through Western Union's Money
Transfer Control system. Another cheaper way to obtain the
magazine is via a contact in Moscow, who pays the subscription in
roubles and sends it abroad. NK is without doubt an indispensable
source of information for any Russian space watcher having a
reasonable command of the Russian language. Contact: Videokosmos,
Ulitsa Akademiks Korolyova, dom 12, stroyeniye 3, komnata 8,
127427 Moscow. (Tel. 095-217-81-45).
Contributor - Bart Hendrickx
Aviation and Space News
"Aviation and Space News" is quarterly Russian space and
aviation magazine was first published in 1993 in separate english
and Russian language versions. Current status unknown. Contact: PO
Box 21, Staraya Ploshchad, 6, 103070, Moscow, K-70, Russia. (Tel.
095-206-9092, 095-206-9464, FAX 095-206-9060)
Contributor - Bart Hendrickx
Space Bulletin
"Space Bulletin" is is a periodical produced by the IKI
(Space Research Institute) and printed in English and included
with the "Earth Space Review", a bimonthly by the Earth Space
Institute. It looks very promising. To subscribe contact: Taina
Fairclough, Circulation manager, Gordon and Breach Science
Publishers, PO Box 90, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 8JL, UK. (Tel. 44
(0) 734560080 , FAX 44 (0) 734568211
Contributor - Dennis Newkirk & Charles Radley
Why We didn't Fly to the Moon
"Pourquoi nous ne sommes pas alles sur la lune" is Mishins
article published in French with a forward by Jean-Loup Chretien,
Toulouse, Cepadues-Editions, 1993, p. 88. ISBN 2-85-428-311-2.
Contact : Cepadues-Editions, 111, rue Nicolas-Vauguelin, 31100
Toulouse. (Tel. 61/40.47.36, FAX 61/41.79.89)
Contributor - Bart Hendrickx
Acoustic Weapons
Some unusual devices are being developed at the Center for
Testing of Devices with Non-Lethal Effects on Humans in Moscow.
They are described in Defense Electronics march 1994 issue page 12
including a 10 Hz gun which can knock out or injure a person at
hundreds of feet range; a receiverless acoustic communications
device using interference it produce sound at a point in free
space; a bottled gas source which emits an extremely cold solution
possibly useful in stopping electronics of all kinds; and a sensor
which can identify living people or animals behind walls or under
debris and sense heartbeat and respiration.
Contributor - Dennis Newkirk & Dean Ing
Beria: Stalin's First Lieutenant
"Beria: Stalin's First Lieutenant" by Amy Knight, Princeton
University Press, 1993, p. 312, ISBN 0691032572. This book doesn't
merit a full review since it really only tells the story of Berias
political rise to power and then his fall. Only about 10 pages of
the book mention his control of the atomic bomb project. Most
these references come from brief descriptions of meetings with
Beria by Kurchatov, Sakharov, etc..
Contributor - Dennis Newkirk
WHERE ARE THE BAIKONUR VISIT REPORTS?
Following the recent publication of Baikonur Cosmodrome
commander General Shumilin's critique of the ANSER corporation
report, which implied he thought it was a rushed, superficial
white wash by dilettantes, reporters asked ANSER director John
Fabian for a response. As quoted last month in "Space News", he
replied that the ANSER report (by Bretton Alexander) had received
good reviews elsewhere in the Russian press. He claimed that
several positive articles had recently appeared.
This was a surprise because other experts who follow the Russian
press very closely had not seen these positive reviews. I wrote to
Fabian and Alexander, with copies to other interested parties in
the dispute, asking for exact citations of these Russian press
reports (which Fabian had referred to) so I could look them up.
I also expressed curiosity as to how the Russian press could
have received copies of the ANSER report since it had not been
officially released anywhere. I had requested official copies from
ANSER and from the White House Science Advisor's Office, which
sponsored it. Neither had replied.
Neither Fabian nor Alexander replied to my letter, neither to
me or to any of the other parties who received coordination copies
of the request. They provided no documentation for the claim of
other Russian press support.
Now, I am aware of a single Russian media mention of the ANSER
report, in a weekly literary periodical, which merely reported
ANSER's assessments without comment (and perhaps with a tinge of
sarcasm). I made inquiries at the US Library of Congress, at the
Foreign Broadcast Information Service and the Joint Publications
Research Service in Washington, to several other leading Western
observers of Russian space activities, and to several high-level
Russian colleagues of mine who actively scan the entire Russian
press for clippings of interest to me (I get 50-100 such articles
per month from Russia), and all drew a blank. Nobody could find
any other citations.
As far as I can tell from this, ANSER's self-serving claim that
there are multiple endorsements of their report's conclusions in
the Russian press has no basis in fact. But I am willing ONE MORE
TIME to ask ANSER to provide the citations of the claimed
documentation, to be posted on Internet for all to see -- or not
see. That, in fact, was General Shumilin's closing advice (quoting
Bulgakov) to all Westerners who comment on Baikonur: "Write only
what you see, and do not write what you do not see." Sound advice,
sagely directed at ANSER and like-minded "think tanks".
Meanwhile, the "pro-Baikonur" analysts such as ANSER's Alexander
and NASA's Cremins also have made repeated references to a
multiplicity of recent US visits to Baikonur, with their
independent reports which confirm the optimistic ANSER
assessments. Outside of the Brown Subcommittee report, which
expresses serious concern over the status of the cosmodrome and
the workers' city, no other such government report has been
released. I have repeatedly requested copies (or even names of
authors) of these other alleged corroborative reports from ANSER
officials and from NASA.
Not a single one has appeared. None has been released for
public view. Perhaps the lesson of the original ANSER report --
that public access opens the assessment up to independent
criticism, point-by-point rebuttal, and embarrassing refutation --
has been taken to heart. Better not to be threatened with such
negativity (and reality?). Why else the secrecy?
Privately we have heard reports that at least some visitors
were very distressed by what they found out at Baikonur, but have
been ordered by NASA to alter their assessments in order to
support White House policies. Careers and future assignments for
uncooperative experts ("NOT a team player") have reportedly been
threatened. These are dreadful rumors that we all hope are not
true. But such suspicion can only thrive under the official
atmosphere of secrecy.
The entire future of the International Space Station Alpha
project is inextricably linked to the prospects of the Baikonur
Cosmodrome. Why isn't NASA releasing its internal studies and the
technical assessments of its expert visitors? We have seen no
satisfying answers to this question.
Contributor - James Oberg, jamesoberg@aol.com
More LH Airliners
On June 8, Reuter's reported that Tupolev has received approval
to build three liquid hydrogen powered Tupolev Tu-156's, each with
4 NK-89 engines, by 1997. The Russian defence and finance
ministries are to fund the program in accordance with the decree
signed by Chernomyrdin. Vladimir Andreyev, is heading the project.
Other institutes involved are the Ministry of Energy, the Gazprom
state gas company and the Kazan engine enterprise. The first
prototype will be a cargo version. This follows developments in
the 1980's with aircraft fit with a single engine burning liquid
Hydrogen or methane.
Contributor - Dennis Newkirk
***** Special Russian Business Section *****
Some books have come to my attention about doing business in
Russia. This not only can give you background about dealing with
Russian business, but can give you an idea of the climate that
todays aerospace joint ventures must operate in.
"How to Profit from the Coming Russian Boom" by Richard Poe,
McGraw-Hill Inc., NY, 1993, p. 250, ISBN 0070504504.
This book covers just about very aspect from travel, mail, banks,
to the mafia. Its written in a very easy and fast reading format
which bucketizes subjects into sections a few paragraphs long. It
concisely lists examples and background on some failures and
successes of doing business in Russia (mostly Moscow). The
Appendixes in the back give the reader notes on "Daily Survival in
Russia", "Your Ready Made Rolodex", and "Resources" including
other books such as how to get the Moscow Yellow Pages phone book.
From that Appendix and a recent trip to Kramer Books in Washington
D.C. Other books of interest include:
"Red Tape: Adventure Capitalism in the New Russia", by Bill Thomas
and Charles Sutherland, Dutton/Penguin Books, NY, 1992.
"Bear Hunting With the Politburo: A Gritty First-Hand Account of
Russia's Young Entrepreneurs-and Why Soviet Style Capitalism Can't
Work", by A. Craig Copetas, Simon & Schuster, Ny, 1991
"Cutting the Red Tape: How Western Companies can Profit in the New
Russia", By Mark Tourevski and Eileen Morgan, The Free Press, NY,
1993.
"Roubles and Dollars: Strategies for Doing Business in the Soviet
Union", By James L. Hecht, HarperCollins, NY, 1991
Contributor - Dennis Newkirk
***** Reviews *****
L'Astronautique Sovietique by Christian Lardier, 1992 Armand Colin
Editeur, 103, bd Saint-Michel, 75240, Paris Cedex 05, France
Review by Asif A. Siddiqi cliched@delphi.com
This book was written in French by well-known Soviet/CIS space
historian Christian Lardier who has written extensively over the
last many years in the journal Air and Cosmos/Aviation Magazine
published in France. This particular book can be essentially
characterized as the first and probably the best (up to now) post-
glasnost volume written on the history of Soviet/CIS space
exploration. Put together primarily from at least 500 different
Soviet sources, it is a staggeringly detailed book that begins
with the works of the famous Soviet pioneer Tsiolkovsky and ends
with descriptions of Mir missions up to early 1992.
There are fairly detailed accounts of such lesser known topics
as the purges at the RNII in the late 1930s, General Designer
Chelomei's early work on cruise missiles, several early plans for
Soviet strategic defense from the 1950s, space-plane studies,
abandoned space station plans, and information on the L-1 and L-3
lunar programs from the 1960s and 1970s. The book is liberally
illustrated with black-and-white photographs and numerous line
diagrams. It should be noted that the Lardier book was one of the
first ever volumes published in the West that contained
photographs of the famous N-1 booster. The volume also includes
many other extremely rare pictures of Korolev, Mishin, and several
State Commissions from the 1960s.
The one draw-back of the book is that Lardier doesn't list
individual sources, which makes it difficult for a serious
researcher to follow up certain stories. For example, he mentions
a hitherto unknown variant of the UR-500 called the UR-530 that
was allegedly proposed by Chelomei in 1977. This tantalizing piece
of information remains just that, given the lack of a reference.
Some might also find the book cluttered with too many names,
making a straight read from beginning to end impossible. The
volume is still an excellent starting point for individuals
wishing to find more on the history of the Soviet/CIS space
programs. This book has something, both for the casual reader and
the serious researcher, and neither will be disappointed. Note: a
basic knowledge of the French language is a must!
The System: An Insiders Life in Soviet Politics, by Georgi
Arbatov, 1993, Times/Random House, NY, p. 380, ISBN 0812922743
(Originally published by Izdatelstvo Mezhdunarodnye Otnosheniam,
Moscow, 1991)
Review by Dennis Newkirk
This book is an excellent narrative of Arbatov's journey from
a Katyusha brigade to the position of a top advisor to the Soviet
leadership. It is very well translated, entertaining, candid and
well written. I was very surprised to read such personally
revealing statements from an undisputed expert on Soviet politics.
Arbatov plainly describes how he slowly learned about the
Soviet system from his unique experiences with assess to forbidden
publications at the Foreign Literature Publishing House, a
position ironically forced upon him by his fathers own run in with
the system. It would be very easy for Arbatov to have written down
to the reader and left his opinions veiled in mystery, but he does
not do that, he lets the reader into his thinking describing how
he made mistakes over the years while he learned how the system
worked.
Arbatov describes how his political thinking was stimulated
during the brief openness after Stalin's death. Seeing Stalin
being criticized seems to have given Arbatov the skepticism which
would later distinguish him from the many others afraid to
disagree with the conservative party line. In an unexpected twist
he writes a lot about his relationship with Yuri Andropov and how
Andropov's mentorship, as both worked in the apparatus, helped him
understand the benefit in a free and open forum of discussion,
even if it was a small and carefully contained forum. He also
describes his later development of the Institute of the USA and
Canada and efforts to keep it an island of sane and open thought
basing it on his earlier experiences working for Andropov.
Throughout the book Arbatov makes many efforts to show the
reader how decisions of the leadership in foreign policy matters
were made and who in general was really in positions of power in
the 60's, 70's and 80's. In many cases even Arbatov can't be
certain about where the power and influence resided and he
mercifully and clearly states that in the book. As one of the main
institutes for foreign policy development in the USSR, the
Institute of the USA and Canada wrote position papers which were
used by the leadership along with the traditional apparatus
reports that together influenced policy of the USSR.
Arbatov also makes note of a few events like viewing
propaganda films of early manned spaceflights, and how when he saw
an unexpectedly recut version of a documentary of Gagarin's
orbital flight, with Khruschev missing, he knew instantly that a
power struggle must have replaced the leader. The System is a
throughly enjoyable book and should be read by anyone deciphering
the political decision making process in the USSR from the 1960's
to 80's.The book is available in paperback at very reasonable
prices in most good bookstores.
Contributor - Dennis Newkirk
Under the Red Star: Luftwaffe Aircraft in the Soviet Air Force, by
Carl-Fredrik Geust, Airlife Pub., 101 Longden Rd. Shrewsbury SY3
9EB, UK, 1993, p. 168
Review by Dennis Newkirk
This book is about German aircraft in the USSR from 1939 to
1950, from the first He 11 and Bf-109 obtained in Spain and test
flown in the USSR to the uncompleted DFS 346 prototypes and their
eventual test flights in the late 1940's.
The author has made trips to Russia and talked to some of the
pilots who flew the planes and has reconstructed in many cases the
exact aircraft serial numbers and how they moved from Germany to
the USSR. He also tells the story of the purchase of many aircraft
and other materials before the war.
The book is lavishly illustrated with photos of aircraft in
Soviet service, repainted with red stars, and newly captured or
crashed planes. To mention all the aircraft types mentioned in
the book is impossible here, there seem to be hundreds. At random
I give one of the shorter entries:
"Three Focke Wulf FW 58 Weihe training/communications
aircraft were bought from Germany in 1940, and tested by the
Soviet Union, flown among others by Igor I Shelest at LII.
One FW 58-B-2 (WNr 2754, registration D-OXWR) ad been
delivered in May 1940. One Fw 58 Weihe was displayed at the
war-booty exhibition in Moscow in summer 1943."
The last 20 page chapter is dedicated to the aviation and
rocket industry evacuated from Germany after the war. Jet bombers,
rocket planes, and missiles are described including the best
description of the DFS 346 test flights I have ever read.
This is a fine book and many very entertaining stories about
the flights and capture of German aircraft are distributed
throughout the book. For example, a pilot from the LII was very
disappointed that there was no fuel to test the captured Me 163's
under power. The author also co-authored Red Stars of the Sky Vol
1-3. and is Chairman of the Finnish Aviation Museum Society. (This
book is also available from Zenith Books)
Contributor - Dennis Newkirk
***** Wanted/Questions/Corrections *****
- Anyone interested in attending an informal meeting of
Soviet/Russian space researchers at the launch of the shuttle Mir
docking mission in May 1995 please contact Dennis Newkirk at the
address below. My preference is to keep this to an informal
meeting lasting the rest of the day after or before the launch at
a nearby hotel, preferably one with a good restaurant. A date will
not be set, this only applies to the actual launch day regardless
of any delays. This is only a tentative plan, other ideas welcome.
Contact the Guide (see below)
***** Contributions *****
The objective of the Guide is to put professional and amateur
Russian aerospace researchers and writers in touch with each other
and the wide array of atypical information sources available about
past and present events. As researchers uncover sources they can
make the source known to the rest of the community and are
credited with providing the info. If you find a good book, or an
article about Russian aerospace outside the main stream US space
press (Space News, Aviation Week, Final Frontier, Air & Space,
etc.) write up a brief description of the item and send it to the
Guide. If you are looking for specific information send in your
questions to be listed to other researchers. Please include
contact information, if specified the contact info will be
withheld.
Please send news releases, abstracts of articles, new or
noteworthy old book reviews, interviews, conference reports, news
and other information related to the study of USSR and Russian
aerospace and related cold war, military and political events you
wish to be listed to:
Internet: issguide@home.com
Submissions via e-mail encouraged. Mail submissions should be
on 3.5 inch diskette DOS or Mac format. Text should be in plain
ASCII format and graphics should be in GIF, EPSF, TIFF or PICT
format. Only as a last resort send hard copies or xerox's. If you
wish to be added to the mailing list send or e-mail a message to
the address above. Please state how receiving the Guide will aid
your work, this will enable the newsletter to serve you better.