Ustinov appears briefly in Tom Clancy's 1984 novel The Hunt for Red October in his capacity as Defense Minister; his death is mentioned by the titular spy Colonel Filitov in The Cardinal of the Kremlin.
Ustinov visas kort i Tom Clancys 1984 roman Jakten på Röd Oktober i sin egenskap av försvarsminister; hans död nämns av titelspionen överste Filitov i Kardinalen i Kreml.