What did the declassified documents reveal?

Air Warning Radar Facilities, Southwest China – a declassified Central Intelligence Agency record dated circa March nineteen sixty‑eight. It appears in the public archive of The Black Vault, a repository for government documents. This brief is notable for identifying four radar installations and a cross‑legs radar site in the Kun‑ming air defense district. The document was released to the public through The Black Vault website. The file was uploaded as part of the agency’s ongoing declassification effort, with the citation indicating a Central Intelligence Agency – Research and Development Project number and a National Photographic Interpretation Center attachment. No specific Freedom of Information Act case number is listed; the release is attributed to the standard declassification authority of the Central Intelligence Agency. The record reads: “RAN (UE Approved For Release) – EGRET: CIA‑RDP‑79‑00849‑A001‑200‑050‑004‑2. (c) NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC INTERPRETATION CENTER ATTACHMENT TO L‑4959 PAGE ONE. REFERENCE: AIR WARNING RADAR FACILITIES SOUTHWEST CHINA. 1. SIGNIFICANCE: THREE RADAR SITES AND A CROSS‑LEGS RADAR AT A KNOWN RADAR SITE HAVE BEEN NEWLY IDENTIFIED ON PHOTOGRAPHY. 2. LOCATION: – CHIN‑PING AIR WARNING RADAR FACILITY: three point six nautical miles south‑south‑west of Chin‑Ping at twenty‑two degrees forty‑three minutes forty‑eight seconds north, one hundred three degrees thirteen minutes thirty seconds east. – MENG‑LA AIR WARNING RADAR FACILITY: four point three nautical miles west‑north‑west of Meng‑La at twenty‑one degrees thirty‑four minutes forty‑five seconds north, one hundred one degrees twenty‑nine minutes forty degrees east. – YEN‑SHAN POSSIBLE AIR WARNING RADAR FACILITY: one point four nautical miles south‑south‑east of Yen‑Shan at twenty‑three degrees thirty‑five minutes five seconds north, one hundred forty‑two degrees zero one minutes five seconds east. – CHIANG‑CHENG AIR WARNING RADAR FACILITY: six point two nautical miles north‑north‑east of Chiang‑Cheng at twenty‑two degrees zero thirty‑two minutes north, one hundred fifteen degrees twenty‑five minutes eight seconds east. All four radar sites are located within the area controlled by the Kun‑ming air‑defense district; (DIA EOB PA 281‑1‑3A‑67‑INT, SECRET). The cross‑legs radar was first intercepted electronically in China in nineteen sixty‑three. The antenna for the radar appears to be a truncated mount mounted above the ground on a platform supported by four legs. (DIA Defense Intelligence). These notes have been prepared for briefing purposes only and should not be used for detailed analytical work. Their use should be restricted to the particular briefing board or boards for which they were prepared and must be considered valid only for the reporting period indicated by the date of issue. For information concerning these notes contact Chief, Collateral Support Division, National Photographic Interpretation Center. DIGEST, MAY nineteen sixty‑seven, SECRET: The…

Why was this case declassified?

This material entered the public record through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process. The originating source document is linked on this page so the citation chain is auditable.

CIA Air Warning Radar Facilities, Southwest China – A Declassified Central

◆ BLUF — The short version

Air Warning Radar Facilities, Southwest China – a declassified Central Intelligence Agency record dated circa March nineteen sixty‑eight. It appears in the public archive of The Black Vault, a repository for government documents. This brief is notable for identifying four radar installations and a cross‑legs radar site in the Kun‑ming air defense district.

Date: AUG 8 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)
Source document: View the primary source document

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What was CIA Air Warning Radar Facilities, Southwest China – A Declassified Central about?: Air Warning Radar Facilities, Southwest China – a declassified Central Intelligence Agency record dated circa March nineteen sixty‑eight. It appears in the public archive of The Black Vault, a repository for government documents. This brief is notable for identifying four radar installations and a cross‑legs radar site in the Kun‑ming air defense district.
Why was this case declassified?: This material entered the public record through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process. Storyflo narrates it directly from the public release.

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CIA Air Warning Radar Facilities, Southwest China – A Declassified Central

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