Background
Explanation and prediction of military R&D in the USSR requires consideration of the system as a whole. Only in context can one make sense of the array of specific strengths and weaknesses found in any undertaking as complex as the way a country acquires its weapons. Although it may approach being a cliche to note the existence of national assymetries and the problems they introduce into analysis, nevertheless they are only infrequently taken into account. In this paper the author is concerned explicitly with how Soviet institutions, constraints, incentives, and values influence the process of Soviet weapons design. The central theme is that these processes strongly affect outcomes over the medium term future.
The Document
The Process of Soviet Weapons Design, March 1978 [45 Pages, 5.9MB]
https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/dtic/2011-43.pdf