K-129's missile could expose Soviet engineering and targeting

What might the CIA have learned from recovering K-129's SS-N-5 submarine-launched ballistic missile?

It could have revealed Soviet engineering weaknesses and useful information about the missile's targeting system.

An intact SS-N-5 could have shown American analysts how heavily engineered and poorly designed some Soviet systems were. Its targeting equipment might also have yielded useful intelligence. The value would lie in examining a physical Soviet weapon rather than relying on Western estimates. Recovery could therefore test existing assumptions about both engineering practice and targeting.