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APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R00020011022-9


Rostock, has a model construction shop and computer facilities. A jetty and test basin at Penne Shipyard, Wolgast, may carry out dockside testing of new construction and experimental propeller design.

No important ground weapons have been developed, and there is no evidence of any interest in improving the country's development and production capabilities in this field. Most of the research work concerning ground force materiel has been on engineer-type equipment, particularly topographic and camouflage. Among the Communist countries, East Germany is second only to the U.S.S.R. in the ability to develop and produce a full range of topographic mapping equipment. Much of this equipment is developed and produced at the VEB Carl Zeiss Jena complex, and devices developed since the early 1960's have become increasingly competitive with the best equipment from West Germany and Switzerland. In many instances, Zeiss Jena equipment models are better than similar Soviet designs. Land navigation systems are virtually the only category of topographic equipment for which the East German Army is totally dependent on Soviet production.

The East Germans have developed all varieties of conventional field survey instruments—theodolites, tachymeters, optical rangefinders (some with infrared sensing attachments), laser rangefinders, north-seeking gyrotheodolites, electronic and electro-optical distance-measuring equipment, and desk-top calculators. Van-mounted photogrammetric equipment has been developed for military use, together with a complete line of modern stereophotogrammetric equipment for base-plant operations. Aerial (frame) cameras, ground stereo cameras, and phototheodolites are available together with photographic laboratory processing and mensuration equipment. Recent innovations include several photographic interpretation devices for both field and office use. New Zeiss Jena equipment for orthophotography has been adapted for use with several stereoplotting systems and, because of its quality design, should be of particular military value for the production of accurate photomaps. Zeiss Jena also has nearly completed development of an analytical stereoplotting instrument, designated stereodicomat, which is constructed from a stereocomparator operating on-line with a small electronic computer. Another example of the breadth of East German topographic fields is the development by Zeiss Jena of the Cartimat, an extremely versatile modular automatic map compilation system (Figure 2). Modification research is continuing on the Cartimat. Highly specialized research and development on map reproduction equipment is underway, and the country's multicolor offset presses and associated map reproduction equipment are in demand among all the Eastern European countries, as well as in non-Communist areas.


FIGURE 2. Modular automatic map compilation system, Cartimat, developed by Zeiss Jena (U/OU


East Germany has the capability fo develop and produce a variety of military transport vehicles, ranging from light- through medium-payload classes. In bridging and stream-crossing equipment, engineers have achieved two significant developments, a tank-launched scissors bridge, designated BLG-60 (Figure 3), and an echograph, the FP-10. The BLG-60 is equipped with an infrared night-vision device and snorkel and is estimated to have a carrying capacity of 60 tons. The echograph is used to determine the profile of a river bottom by registering the depth of the water with reference to the bank and according to the scale on an acoustic recording chart.

Research on concealment equipment practices is on a par with the best in the world. The apparent


FIGURE 3. Tank-launched scissors bridge, BLG-60 (C)


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APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R00020011022-9