The Soviet missile program has, throughout the years,' been a,major - Sigint target. Ever more sophisticated Sigint collection,/ processing, analytic, and reporting systems and techniques'have evolved to follow this program, calling for the commitment of vast amounts of personnel and material resources. Comint had begun to play a strong role in the development of the target by the early 1950s, and Telint and Elint had begun to play a significant role by the late 1950s, expanding rapidly after that time. Combined, these Sigint sources have accounted for the bulk of the intelligence available the last decade or so concerning developments,, capabilities, and systems. Although the Soviets employ.-a wide variety of missiles in their offensive and defensive forces with many and varying missions, this history is slanted mainly toward'the development of their land-based surface-to-surface ballistic missile programs. To attempt to include all aspects of the over-all Soviet missile program under one cover would delay publication far into the future. Rather, it is considered more, advantageous to publish particular segments as they are completed, making them available as soon as possible. Subjects of other missile-related histories could deal with the Soviet Union's ABM program, its naval missile systems (both offensive and defensive), its defensive surface-to-air and air-to-air missile programs, and the like. Missile programs of other Sigint targets, such as HHHK and of other major military and civil programs as well (ground forces, air forces, etc.)—could also be subjects of future histories. The editors invite experts in the various fields to consider Before and during World War II, the Germans had developed a variety of missile systems. At the end of the war, they stood alone in the numbers and complexity of these systems. Some were used during the war with varying degrees of effectiveness; others were evolving when the war ended. Many of these missile systems, and the scientists who had developed them, were acquired by the Soviets after the war, permitting the USSR to quickly establish its own missile program. At first the Soviets attempted to keep the missile-related facilities intact on German soil, using German scientists to the maximum extent possible while Soviet counterparts were gaining familiarity in a new field. Later, the Germans, and most of the missile-related facilities, were sent to the USSR, where work continued under Soviet control. The V-2, a German rocket used operationally late in the war, was the system most extensively studied and emulated by the Soviets, It was the first such missile tested in the USSR, inaugurating the opening in 1947 of the Soviet Union's first missile test range at Kapustin Yar. Reflections of its design were seen years later in the evolving Soviet missile program. Other missiles, and missile-related systems and subsystems, also fell into Soviet hands after the war; they too provided the Soviets with technology and hardware that would serve them well in later years. By 1953, most of the Germans had departed the USSR, and subsequent developments were by and large the result of indigenous Soviet programs— planned, engineered, developed, and produced by Soviet personnel. In 1957, the USSR successfully tested its first ICBM, and by the early 1960s it had available a variety of ballistic missiles, from short-range ones to those capable of•covering intercontinental distances. By this time, three additional major test ranges were operational or evolving, and the Soviets had launched earth satellites into orbit.
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