Nizhniy Tagil [Verkhnyaya Salda]
58°04'N 60°33'E

The ten SS-7 ICBM launch sites at this complex have been dismantled. Initially, silo-based RS-24s were deployed at the 28th Missile Guards Division at Kozelsk to replace the SS-19s, and then mobile RS-24s replaced SS-25s at the 51st Missile Guards Division at Irkutsk and the 39th Guards Missile Division at Novosibirsk. Once Irkutsk and Novosibirsk were complete, deployment followed at the 42nd Missile Division at Nizhniy Tagil, replacing SS-25s currently deployed there. After silo-based RS-24s are installed at Kozelsk, deployment followed at the 13th Missile Division at Dombarovsky, replacing the SS-18s currently deployed there.

In Mid-1961, US intelligence positively identified three ICBM complexes under construction. Two were near Yur’ya and Yoshkar-Ola, in a region several hundred miles northeast of Moscow, and the third is near Verkhnyaya Salda in the Urals. The paired, road-served pads at these complexes closely resemble those at Tyuratam Area C. The Soviet deployment concept involves large, fixed complexes, with multiple pads and extensive support facilities. The identified deployment complexes are served by rail spurs which provide their major logistic support. The complexes are highly vulnerable to attack.

The Soviet system was probably designed to have a refire capability from each launcher. The USSR may therefore be able to fire a second salvo some hours after the first, assuming that the launching facilities are not damaged by accident or attack. The extent of the support facilities strongly suggests that additional missiles are to be held there to provide a reload or standby capability.

The Verkhnyaya Salda ICBM Complex is in the eastern foothills of the Ural Mountains, in the central interior region of Western Siberia. The complex support facility is 4.0 nm west of Verkhnyaya Salda, an industrial city in the Sverdlovsk Oblast of the Russian SFSR. The rail-to-road transfer point is at the north end of the complex support facility and the 9 launch sites were deployed to the north, with 7 of the 9 sites situated on the south bank of the winding Tagil river.

The launch sites extend about 24 nm in an east-west direction and consist of 2 Type IIA, 3 Type IIB, 2 Type IIIA, and 2 Type IID sites. Other components of the complex are an auxiliary support facility, and a communications facility. Terrain in the general vicinity of the complex, as well as on the north sideof the Tagil river, is generally flat, and contains numerous swampy areas. Drainage is from west to east, and elevations range from about 800 feet on the west to about 600 feet on the east. Relative relief at each launch site is slight. The region is heavily forested but has been extensively cut over. Launch sites had to be cleared before construction could start. Several cities and large towns are in the general region of the complex, but relatively few small towns or villages.

The complex is at 58° north latitude and the seasons are typical of this northern hemisphere location. Winters are quite cold and the ground remainssnow-covered from early November to mid-April. The average monthly temperature during January is about - 10°F. Summers are generally quite warm, with an average high of about 70°F during the month of July. Clouds are prevalent over the complex much of the year, ranging from a high of 85 per cent in January and October to a low of about 55 percent in February, April, June,and July.

The complex support facility and rail-to-road transfer point are served by a spur from one of the rail lines that is part of a network serving the industrial cities and mining areas north of Sverdlovsk. A spur also goes through the auxiliary support facility and terminates in a large peat-cutting area. The industrial cities and towns in the region are all joined by fair-to-good roads but, in the area of the complex, roads were non-existent until the launch sites were deployed and well-engineered roads were constructed to provide acess to all com-ponents of the complex.

The Verkhnyaya Salda ICBM Complex was probably the first, after Plesetsk, to be deployed in the Soviet Union. The positioning of the launch sites along the escarpment of the Tagil river is very similar to those of the SS-6 sites along the Yemtsa river at Plesetsk. It is possible that this complex was originally planned for the SS-6 missile but, with the successful development of the more economical and easier handling SS-7 missile, it was decided to deploy that system instead. There is firm evidence that on several other occasions the Soviets had revised their deployment plans and canceled out a program after construction had started.

Construction for the complex support facility was probably started in the late winter of 1960 and Launch Sites 1 and 3 (Type IIA) were started during the late spring or summer of that year. The complex was first observed in CORONA photography of very poor interpretability; the complex support facility and Launch Sites 1 and 2 could be identified by outline only, and no details were discernible. Launch Site 2 (Type IIB) was again observed in cloudy photography. At that time, it appeared to be in a midstage of construction. The entire complex was not observed until later in 1961, when Launch Sites 1 and 2 were again seen and Launch Sites 3, 4, 5, 7, and 8 were seen for the first time.

Launch Sites 4 and 5 are Type IIB, and Launch Sites 7 and 8 are Type IIIA. These 4 sites were started during the late winter and early. Type IID launch sites were observed, which had been started about 2 months prior in the first sites were complete and, by all sites at the complex were complete. Since that time, there has been no indication of additional site construction.

A steady level of activity had always been maintained at the complex. Missile exercises and missiles on trailers were frequently observed at the launch sites, and vehicular traffic was always apparent along the complex main roads. This complex is in a highly industrialized region, which restricts its expansion. Several manufacturing cities and towns are in the general vicinity, as well as numerous mining operations and peat cuttings. The numerous swamps prevalent in the area are a further limitation. It was doubtful that there will be any further deployment at this complex.

Component		Type	Coordinates
Complex Support Facility			58°02'N	60°24'E
Launch Site A	TDI Site 2	IIB	58°08'N	60°16'E
Launch Site B	TDI Site 1	IIA	58°06'N	60°21'E
Launch Site C	TDI Site 3	IIA	58°09'N	60°27'E
Launch Site D	TDI Site 4	IIB	58°11'N	60°34'E
Launch Site E	TDI Site 5	IIB	58°13'N	60°54'E
Launch Site F	TDI Site 7	IIIA	58°14'N	60°40'E
Launch Site G	TDI Site 8	IIIA	58°13'N	60°49'E
Launch Site H	TDI Site 9	IID	58°05'N	60°12'E
Launch Site I	TDI Site 10	IID	58°08'N	60°32'E