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(FINAL-USIB APPROVED)

5 July 1960

2. OPERATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS: The following characteristics
ACTERISTICS:

Fopreeent the ultimate in the syctem. Appendix "I" to this Annex which
shows the specific requirements for selected priority targets demonstrates
that not all of the ®perational characteristics given below are needed for
each requirement,

a. The system should provide réceiving ond recording equipment
Capable of intercepting land based, shipborne and airborne electronic
emissions between 10 mcs and 50 kmcs and at lower and higher
frequencies, if Propagation will permit, Equipments Covering specific
bands within this range should be in easily substituted modular form,

b. The receiving and recording equipment should be of high
Sensitivity, low noise, high fidelity and most modern design in keeping
with the latest developments within the State-of-the-art,

c. Receivers Covering specific RF bands should be capable of
receiving, recognizing, and providing outputs for the recording ofall
known types of modulation within their opecified bands,

4, The system should be Capable of recognising and recording
new and unusual signals, The original modulation of intercepted signals

- should be preserved to the greatest degree possible,

e. The system should incorporate a direction finding capability
that will Permit location of electronic enfitters withis a five mile CEP;
however, achieving this Capability should not preclude attaining a high
order technical collection capability within the system,

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5 July 1960

SEerer

At the present time, approximately 35 objectives are Considered to be of
the highest priority interest, Approximately 500 objectives are of high
Priority interest and ®pproximately 3,000 additional objectives are of
priority interest. In addition to these Specific objectives, information is
required on areas that have been inaccessible to other collection systems,
Tt is anticipated that reconnaissance of these areas msy reveal the
existence of important instal'ations previously unknewn. ;

7. The specific Composition of the National Priority Reconnaissance
Requirements List will change from time to time 2&8 new information is
acquired from all sources and as the important intelligence probleme
facing the United States change, It is anticipated, however, that at any
given time within the foreseeable future, our requirements for photo-
graphic reconnaissance will approximate the present list in cise and
variety. Complete and simultancous Coverage of the. Soviet Union would
not eliminate such a Uist, even if it were possible to achieve, because the
elements of power in the Soviet Union are dynamic and new developments
and additions are occurring Constantly. Repent Coverage of many of the
target areas in the Soviet Bion will remain a requirement, therefore,
although the number and periodicity of this repeat coverage will vary,
depending on the nature of the targot and the intelligence situation existing
at the time, From an ideal point of intelligence utility, many of the high
eriorty and highest priority targets should be Covered at intervals on
the order of 1 to 6 months, but the reconnaissance system should have

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SECRET


SEGRE USIB-D-33. 6/8
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5 July 1960
components of installations or complexes. Some air base runways, sub-
marine bases, arydocks, piers and Supporting facilities, ground forces
barracks areas, equipment parks, and training centers, major or isolated
surface-to-air missile sites, atomic energy installations, ballistic missile
sites, and industrial installations should be detected, located, identified
by type and approximately measured, Large vessels including surfaced
submarines, large aircraft and missile launch pads, should be counted,
Military support facilities should be identified by type. . The identification
arid disposition of major Soviet naval forces should be determined,

¢. Photography with a ground resolution of objects 10 feet on a
side should provide a capability to identify large aircraft and known
missile carrying submarine and ship types, determine base utilization,
locate special weapons and CBR facilities, limited map and chart
revision could be accomplished, and analyze base support facilities, °
A general functional analysis of industrial, military and traneportation
facilities should be completed. Above ground ICBM and RBM facilities
such as launch pads, stands and some Support equipment should be
accurately measured. The capacity of military storage facilities, the
, General level of military activity, military transportation capabilities
and indications of security should be determined, Navai ships and
unita-should be identified by type,

da. Photography with a ground resolution of objects GS a

2
side should provide relatively detailea intelligence information Concerning

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SECRES


SECRET USIB-D-33. 6/8

(FINAL-USIB APPROVED)
: 5 July 1960
against euch a target. We believe that if we are to find the Soviet oper-
ational ICBM launch sites, our highest Priority effort should be directed
to @ general search of a substantial portion of that part of the USSR covered
by the rail net. Photographic resolution to accomplish this search mission
would need to ®pproach 20 feet on a side, Repetition of this general search
at the rate of @pproximately once each month initially would give usa
relatively high degree of Assurance of Providing the information required,
Read-out of the photography on this frequency would establish trends and
priorities for the Programming of subsequent search missions, bt is
expected that the Photography will also be used to supplement that obtained
by other means for the improvement of mapping and more precise location
of targete in the Soviet Union in response to the Emorgency War Plans
of the Armed Services,
b. If suspicious locations are identified which might be possible
ICBM launch sites, these locations will be added to the highest priority
category of the National Priority Reconnaissance Requirements List,

Our Second priority requirement, therefore, is for photographic coverage

26 highest prion sangat catagory inthe USER, with a photographic

+ System of sufficient Fesolution to supply us with doncriptive information
on those targets. It is believed that resolution “pproaching (Bon a
side is necessary for this requirement. There should bea Capability to
launch and/or control these missions on-call at short notice to meet the

needs of the intelligence situation ae it develops,

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. {FINAL-USIB APPROVED)

5 July 1960
sufficient flexibility to permit the coverage to be timed to meet the needs
of the specific intelligence situation as it develops.
8. The information obtained by the satellite reconnaissance system would
be of maximum use in providing strategic intelligence information. In
addition to this primary mission, it should provide important by-products
in the form of information bearing on indications of Soviet intentions.
9. At the present time, the U. S, Intelligence Board is faced with
several outstanding problems which should be considered on a priority
basis for system development and employment of the photographic satellite
vehicles during the 1961-1962 time period as follows:

a. Our first and most urgent priority requirement is for a photo-
graphic reconnaissance system capable of locating suspect ICBM launch
sites. It is estimated that many sites for the launching of operational
Soviet ICBM's will be completed between now and the end of 1962. It is
our strong belief that our best and possibly our only chance to detect these
sites will be during the construction phase; once these sites are completed,
we will have considerably less Opportunity to detect them, it is important
. therefore, that a maximum effort be made to find the Soviet operational
ICBM launch sites before the end of 1962, Once any ICBM site is
located, a satellite reconnaissance system with adequate ground resolution
should be able to maintain surveillance and report changes in its status,
but if these sites are not located before the end of the construction phase
almost any reconnaissance system would be of considerably lees value

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SECRET


__USIB-D-33, 6/8
(FINAL-USIB APPROVED)
Rialy 4360
EXAMPLES oF INTELLIGENCE TARGETS THAT MIGHT BE DENTIFIED

AT VARIOUS RESOLUTIONS
SOLUTIONS

1. The following categories, although not intended to be definitive or
comprehensive, are Presented for the purpose of giving some idea of
object. size in the intelligence spectrum which might be identified at the
limiting resolutions indicated. This evaluation is considered valid
Provided the targets are not concealed by deception or c@mouflage,

a. Photography with a ground resolution of objects 100 feet on a
side should provide information for identification and location of cities,
forests, large bodies of water, changes in rail alignments and trans-
Portation patterns, industrial complexes, CBR and nuclear R&D test
facilities, major military comptczes, Possibly including large missile
sites or related electronic facilities and patterns, air bases and large
Naval and port facilities. Indications of industrial Growth should be
detected, Large ships (300 feet in length or more) should be detected
at anchor or at sea and naval formations at sea identified, The extent
of complexes, installations and sea formations should be &pproximately

+ measured and some locational and topographic information should be
available.

b. Photography with a ground resolution of objects 20 feet onal

fide should provide all the information available from that with a ground

resolution of 100 feet on a side, plus intelligence information concerning

VALCO 2. re)
SECREr


SECRP USIB-D-33. 6/8
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5 July 1960

INTELLIGENCE REQUIREMENTS FOR SATELLITE RECONNAISSANCE

SYSTEMSOF WHICH SAMOS 15 AN EXAMPLE

number of different ways, but this feasibility will be affected from time
to time by technical and political Considerations that might make it

information that can be obtained by other systems, on balance, it should
be able to perform a number of reconsaissance tasks better than other
systems and should be able to produce useful information on the great
majority of intelligence questions against which reconnaissance systems
might be employed. A satellite reconnaissance system might also be less
affected by some of the political considerations affecting other reconnais-
sance systems. The U, Ss, Intelligence Board Considers it essential,

- therefore, that the United States develop and maintain an 9Qperational
satellite reconnaissance system with a wide range of capabilities,
2. The intelligence situation facing the United States will Continue to
be highly dynamic, influenced both by changes in Soviet capabilities and

SERED MEP. 2 5,


—Sf£¢R 2 T_ USIB-D-33. 6/8
{FINAL-USIB APPROVED)
5 July, b7e0

REQUIREMENTS FOR ELINT/COMINT CAPABILITY

1. GENERAL

a. The ELINT/COMINT reconnaissance system must provide the
ability to intercept electromagnetic emissions from the Sino~Soviet Bloc,
to return the intercepted information in a secure manner to appropriate
locations, and to record against an accurate time base this information
in a form suitable for other processing.

b. Development of electronic reconnaissance satellites will
involve maximum oquipment progression, utilising state-of-the-art
equipment without inhibitions of patt techniques and custom in inter-
copt, recording and processing. The most advanced equipment possible
must be employed as early in the program os is permissible within oper-
ational considerations and equipment availability. No individual vehicle
will neceséorily have all of the characteristics and capabilities required
for the sub-system as a whole.

¢. As SAMOS reaches the operational stage, intelligence infor-
mation received from the project or other sources may indicate the

‘ need for additional types of directed intercept systeme capable of
receiving, recognizing and recording specific types of signals. As
, more is learned of the technical capabilities of the system, operational

. requirements will be revised. Provisions should be made to procure

—sEcrer Ae 5
. 34

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Sn Se

SECRET USIB-D-33. 6/8
. {FINAL-USIB APPROVED)
5 July 1960
most military and industrial installations. All aircraft, except model
improvements, ground forces disposition and equipment to include tanks
and artillery, some large missiles, early warning sites, AAA sites,
atomic energy materials production, except weapons, structural
shipboard configurations for missile handling, and special weapons
storage, loading and handling should be identified, measured and
analyzed, A level of military activity and type of training should be
discernible,
e Photography with a ground resolution of objects PRB -n a

side should provide detailed-technical intelligence concerning air,

naval or ground force equipment and industrial production processes.


a ]
i - USIB-D-33. 6/8

—S£¢R£ET—
(FINAL-USIB APPROVED)
, 5 July 1960
¢. Our third priority requirement is for a photographic system of
_ ease sas see foto

sufficient resolution to supply us with the technical characteristics of the
highest priority targets before the end of 1962. This will require a
resolution of better than{ a side.

da. if technological development barriers preclude the design objectives
for resolutions described above, the USIB will designate resolutions

which are acceptable frpm an intelligence standpoint,

2 Atcha
1. Photo (Annex "A"')
2, ELINT/COMINT (Annex "B")



SECRE?P USIB-D-33. 6/8
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5 July 1960

the satellite electronic reconnaissance system during the R&D phase.
These will be communicated to the proper authorities as they arise.
5. In order for the system to move in a realistic direction and provide
the maximum amount of intelligence to the country, it is essential that
the R&D phase of the system be guided by and devoted to the intelligence
tasks outlined below and to such additional high priority intelligence tasks
as may arise from time to time. The intelligence community will review
these requirements at frequent intervals as the intelligence situation
develops in order that new tasks may be identified and brought to the
attention of the R&D authorities at the earliest possible time.
6. At the present time, the U. S, intelligence community maintains a
National Priority Reconnaissance Requirements List which identifies
those specific targets in the Soviet Union against which photog raphic
reconnaissance should be employed. This list is concerned with Soviet
offensive capabilities including installations associated with the Soviet
Long Range Bomber program, the Soviet Guided Missile program, the
Soviet Navy especially with regard to nuclear-propelied and guided
missile configured vessels and Soviet Tank, Motorised and Artillery
Forces, Other targets on the list are concerned with the capabilities
and strategic positioning of Soviet military forces, Soviet capabilities
for defense against air and missile attack, and the Soviet power base
in the form of atomic energy installations and industrial complexes,
The National Priority Reconnaissance Requirements List is broken

down into various categories of priority interest.

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5 July 1960

£. If feasible, receiver outputs are required that will allow deter-
mination of scan rate and polarization of intercepted signals,

&- The system should b. capable of storing and discriminating

‘between intercepted data from Several orbits, at teast until readout has
been accomplished,

h. = The system should also provide calibration data to the grpund-
Space communications and to the data processing sub-systems adequate
for the production of the most reliable intelligence information.

_ 3. GENERAL TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS:

a The receiver dynamic range requirements should be maximised

te prosorve pulse ampitiets meade*ations that oceur ia tlcmotsy, missile
‘ gtifiarse, ote,

B. Receiver sensitivicios should bo a maximum consistent with
iatorcopt requirement. RF accuracy should be the best attainabic,

c. Rapid automatic Spectrum coverage is required with a high
Probability of intercept,

d, Image and spurious response interference should be a minimun,

@. The system should ba capable of determining the synchroniza-
tion af several different signals Gimultaneously,


, Appbsbtet ? ou
SPECIFIC ELINT REQUIREMENTS FoR SAMOS

SECTION A

DESIMED ACCURACIES

FREQ,

SRETION B

nf YL

; Villy ZL LL
: = VMMUULLAMULLLLbbyy
MMMM WUMULMMLILY


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5 July 1960
National ELINT Requirements List that are appropriate to collection by

a satellite. The characteristics required of these vehicles are described
in Annex "B", Unfortunately, however, in the present state of the art
electronic art, these capabilities are likely to be obtained only after a
Considerable R&D effort. We feel that the information derived from
Photographic reconnaissance is now, and is likely to be, of greater
value and priority than that obtained by any foreseeable electronic recon-
naissance system. Even in these circumstances, however, we feel that
the information likely to be obtained by electronic reconnaissance would
be of such value that the R&D effort to achieve this capability should be
carried forward with the highest priority short of interfering with the
photographic tasks outlined elsewhere in this paper. In the absence of

- a fully developed electronic reconnaissance system, and in view of the
uncertainties as to what can be collected with interim systems, we are

reluctant to specify detailed requirements for the short term that might

cause serious disruptions in the R&D effort leading toward the fully

developed systami, There are important problems, however, toward
“which electronic reconnaissance could contribute critical information
during the R&D phase without serious disruption to that effort. One of
.the most important of these is the search for emissions associated with
an Anti-Ballistic Missile system. These problems are outlined in greater
detail in Appendix I to Annex “B". It is probable that from time to time

the intelligence situation will require that additional tasks be levied on

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. 5 July 1960
our own intelligence assets, making it impossible to specify at any one
time the precise nature of the satellite reconnaissance system that will
be required in the distant future. As stated in paragraph 1 above, how~
ever, we are sure that there will exist an urgent requirement for a

aatellite reconnaissance system throughout the foreseeable future,

3. The Photographic system must be capable of obtaining coverage of

denied areas at object resolutions of approximately 20 ot
Wye. a side. However, the 100 feet on a side Programmed

for R&D design objectives will be utilised and exploited for intelligence

purposes to the maximum extent possible. (See Annex "A" for examples
of objects that can be identified at these resolutions.) The system must
Provide for repeat Coverage of targets at these various resolutions,
depending on the nature of the target and the intelligence problem in-
volved, The periodicity of this repeat coverage will alco depend on the
nature of the target and the intelligence situation, as well as on other
sources that can be brought to bear on it, The anticipated frequency
can be predicted more precisely as the intelligence situation develops,
4. It is essential that the U, S. have access to information derived
from electronic emissions inside of denied areas that, in the present
state of the art, can be collected only by electronic reconnaissance over
those denied areas, A satellite electronic reconnaissance vehicle is
‘likely to be of great value in this reconnaissance. It is essential that
such an electronic reconnaissance vehicle have a wide range of capa-

bilities in order that it may fulfill the requirements expressed in the

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such equipment as might be required by Quick Reaction Capabilities. 4
close working relationship between the R&D organisation and the intel- .
ligence community is roquired.

a, The ELINT targets for the system will be drawn from the National
ELINT Requirements Lict and the COMINT targets from the National ,
" COMINT Requirements List, Bt is not intended that collection by

satellites will replace other moans of ELINT/COMINT collection. 2 is
important that the effort be concentrated on obtaining signals inaccessible
by other means of collection.

. @, Facilitias skould be provided to allow programming of the
collection systeme from the ground for specific targets, by changing
the system directivity, radio froquency and bandwidth vo time. .

f, The read-out and data processing capability for intercepted
signals must be as offactive as tho capability for ealisction 99 as to
Provide 2 means of rapid procosoing and dissemination of the products
to producers and users, Bvery effort chould be made to insure that

_ any machineable output of the system be in « form compatible with the
input capabilities of the users.

G- The objective is to have an operational system as soon as

' possible, However, during the R&D phase, flights are required for
RED purposes, during which time it is recognised that intelligence sy

priorities may be of a secondary consideration,


SE RET USIB-D-33. 6/8
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5 July 1960

continuing revision by the Intelligence Community in accordance with the
priorities establiched by the National ELINT Requirements List, Examples
of targets of current importance and considered to be obtainable by the system
are listed‘in Appendix "I", Section A, The technical parameters desired and
the accuracies needed are added. Section B lists examples of specific

targets which will become progressively attainable with development of

the system, These will be moved to Section A when appropriate.

5. COMINT COLLECTION:

ION:
&. COMINT requirements for SAMOS aro of lower priority than

j the ELINT requirements, Development of COMINT collection devices. -
: Vi
will be dependent upon empirical data acquired by the ELINT system. t

b. The frequency spectrum of interest ranges from below ten i!

mogacycles per second to ten thousand megacycles per second,

i
Hi
}
}
H
i
i
i
i

C. The estimated radiated power of the transmitters to be inter- i

cepted is tabulated below:

H * FREQUENCY MINIMUM POWER SIGNAL BANDWIDTH
HF 1.0 watts 1 ke min to 10 ke max :
VHF 10 watts 5 ke min to 100 ke max ‘
UHF 3 watts 30 ke min to 1 megacycle

da. The recorder will provide for storage of video signals and will
have a bandwidth capability of one mogacycle.
e, The minimum sub-system (antenna, receiver, recording and

~ playback) signal to noise ratio should be of the order of ten decibels.

1 Atch :
Appendix I |

ee,