SOVIET MILITARY DELIVERIES TO CUBA IN 1974

Created: 1/1/1975

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

Soviet Military Deliveries To Cuba4

SUMMARY

USSRoderate level ofto Cubaeven Sovietetric tons of military equipment,last year's shipments, but comparable withrange00 tons noted sincelevel of deliveries and the types of equipmentthat the Soviets continue to be committed only to

a minimum replacement program.

new weapons systems are known tout the variety of equipmentgreater than in past years. Aircraftighters andewer version

of therainer. Other shipments4 tanks, an Osa-class guided missile patrol boat, and the first identified delivery ofissiles in more than three years.

Note: Comments and queries regarding this publication are welcomed. They may be directedhe Office of Economic Research,f

DISCUSSION

military shipments to Cuba4 began

in January with the arrival of the Dmitriy Gulva and ended onovember with one of the USSR's most frequent arms carriers, the Lcninskiy Komsomol. Five other Soviet ships transported arms to Cuba during the year (see the Appendix)

ons deliveredonsbut is comparable with the general level ofeach of the past five years (see theix of

the seven ships carried exclusively military cargoes. The Nikolay Ananov transported commercial cargo with military equipment on dock. As in the past, seaborne shipments of military equipment to Cuba originated solely in the USSR. No major arms deliveries are known to have arrived in Cuba by air since2 missile crisis,mall amount of specialty spare parts i's probably carried on Aeroflot's scheduled services between Moscow and Havana.

Pattern of Deliveries

voyage profiles of ships carryingto Cuba4 were clouded in theof all Soviet arms

six of the seven ships "brobably loaded at NiJd

ouviri. mack Sea port for loading militaryis likely the seventh ship, the Nikolay Ananov,the commercial portion of its cargo at Ilichevsk and then topped off in the

or enese snip's made intermediain the Mediterraneantwo at Latakia and oneprior to sailing for Cuba. The remainingmixed cargo Nikolay Ananov, f "* *|

sailed nonstop for Cuba.

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Soviet Seaborne Military Deliveries To Cuba

iles west of Havana, remainedport for deliveries of military equipment.tight and access to the port is restricted at allmilitary personnel help with offloadingspecial group of someivilian stevadores has charge

of the pier-side operations. Four of the seven arms carriers4 offloaded solely at Mariel. Of the remaining three, two called initially at Havana and then at Mariel and the third reversed these ports of call.

Composition of Shipments

past patterns of Sovietthe bulk of military deliveries inof small arms, ammunition, communicationsand assorted military trucks and jeeps. Inthese items, Cubaide variety ofsuch as aircraft, patrol boats,missile systems equipment, andtanks.

9. Fourteen aircraft were delivered to Cubaf which nine were additionalighters and five are thought toewer version of therainer. Six fighters were carried as dock cargo on the Svetlogorsk, which arrived in Cuba onay, and three were delivered by the Niklolay Ananov, which arrived in mid-September. These deliveries, less one confirmed crash in the fall, bring Cuba's current inventory ofncludingfodels.

10. The five remaining aircraft were carried ason the Fizik Vavilov, which arrived inJ' *

Aircraft

uiuau uauu iui ouviut tidinera ana tnose currentlyused for. On balance, the aircraft probably are trainers that will replace five delivered to Cuba

Patrol Boats

11. One Osa-class guided missile patrol boat was delivered to Cuba inringing the Cuban Navy's inventory of patrol craft using theissile toomarssas. It is suspected that an unspecified number of Komarsperhaps as many as fourhave been cannibalized. All these patrol craft are stationed at

n Cuba*

the Cabanas naval facility someiles west of Havana.mall Zhuk-class patrol craft arrived in

on the Yuriho second

Styx Missiles

sixissiles Fiaik Vavilov on

observed

12. Sixere observedovember. The next day, three

were

t witn tne remaining uxxcuuj- luuwvyu lium tne arfea. The delivery of these missiles probably reflects additions to depleted stocks,eries of test firings occurredonth before the Fizik Vavilov delivery.

quipment associated with theissilein August n the Khirug Vishnevsky

]reported4 tanks and

the an

cargo of 26

xidizer tanksj and on the qelarn>ni.ir^fr>r. vans). Inmitriy Gulyaoia unspecified number

Outlook

14. Although additional fighter aircraft and Osa deliveries may occur later in the year, we expect no appreciable change in the overall level of military shipmentshere is no evidencehift in Soviet policy which,as emphasized replacement of expended munitions, destroyed or obsolescent aircraft, and worn out equipment in the Cuban armed forces. *

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