Norwegian Sea Wreckage and the Soviet SS-NX-21 Missile
A 1968 plane crash gave Western intelligence a window into Soviet nuclear delivery systems, but the recovery details were kept from the public for decades.
By Eleanor Voss ·
Cruise Missiles
Soviet Navy Positioned 12 Cruise Missiles Against US Carriers in 1968
US sailors faced a growing Soviet anticarrier force that stayed hidden in plain sight for decades; the full report remained secret until 2017.
By Roy Castellano ·
1971 CIA Report Estimated Five to Seven Hits to Sink a Carrier
Western crews operated under a nuclear threat for decades while the USSR refined weapons that could paralyze a hangar deck, a strategy kept secret until 2017.
By Roy Castellano ·
Soviets armed 915 missiles to destroy American carriers
US carrier task forces were tracked by a secret network of Bear aircraft and nuclear submarines as the Soviets gambled on saturation tactics to avoid naval inferiority.
By Vera Kessler ·