1529th Guards Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment
Unit Identification
The 1529th Guards Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment is a unit of the Russian Aerospace Forces Air and Missile Defense Troops, commonly referenced in Russian as the 1529th Guards ZRP. Its official military unit number is 16802. Open-source reporting associates the regiment with the S-300PS surface-to-air missile system.
Command Subordination
The regiment is reported as subordinate to the 2nd Air Defense Division of the 6th Air and Air Defense Army. The 6th Army forms part of Russia’s Western Military District and is responsible for the air defense of the St. Petersburg region and surrounding areas.
Garrison and Location
Publicly available sources place the regiment’s headquarters and primary garrison at Vaganovo, Vsevolozhsky District, Leningrad Oblast, under military unit 16802. The location is northeast of St. Petersburg and supports rapid movement to pre-surveyed firing positions within Leningrad Oblast. Specific street addresses and exact geocoordinates are not published in official sources.
Mission and Area of Responsibility
The regiment’s mission is point and area air defense of critical sites and air approaches in the St. Petersburg metropolitan area and Leningrad Oblast. Within the regional integrated air defense system, it provides coverage against aircraft and cruise missiles and contributes to layered defense with neighboring units. Ballistic missile defense capability with S-300PS is limited compared to newer systems.
Weapon System and Capabilities (S-300PS)
The S-300PS (NATO reporting name SA-10B Grumble) is a mobile medium to long-range SAM system. Typical components include 5P85S and 5P85D transporter-erector-launchers (four missiles per TEL), a 5N63S Flap Lid fire-control radar, a 36D6 Tin Shield surveillance radar, and a low-altitude detector such as the 5N66M. Standard missiles from the 5V55 series include the 5V55R with a maximum range of roughly 75 km and, in some units, the 5V55RUD at around 90 km, with engagement altitudes up to approximately 25–27 km. A typical S-300PS firing battalion fields about 12 launchers, providing up to 48 ready-to-fire missiles; actual launcher counts for this regiment are not publicly disclosed.
Organizational Structure
Detailed tables of organization for this regiment are not publicly released. In general, S-300PS regiments comprise three to four firing battalions (divizions), a regimental command post, a technical battery for missile preparation, and logistics, maintenance, communications, and security subunits. The unit bears the Guards honorific, indicating continuity of an award dating to the Soviet era.
Infrastructure and Support
The Vaganovo garrison includes administrative facilities, barracks, motor pools for TELs and support vehicles, maintenance shops, and communications infrastructure. Ammunition and missile-technical support are typically provided from secured storage and preparation areas that are separated from main troop housing, consistent with Russian PVO practice. Specific site layouts and capacities are not available in open official sources.
Deployment Posture and Firing Positions
SAM regiments around St. Petersburg use multiple pre-surveyed firing positions, often with prepared concrete pads, to enable dispersion and rotation of batteries according to operational needs. The 1529th Guards ZRP is positioned to occupy such sites across Leningrad Oblast to shape coverage of key approaches to the city. The exact locations, number of positions, and current occupancy are not publicly disclosed.
Integration within Regional IADS
The regiment operates within the integrated air defense system of the 6th Air and Air Defense Army, receiving early warning and target designation from regional radio-technical units. It coordinates with neighboring surface-to-air missile regiments, including S-400-equipped units in the St. Petersburg area, to provide layered and overlapping coverage managed at division and army levels.
Training and Readiness
Russian VKS SAM regiments conduct recurring training cycles, including field deployments, electronic engagement drills, and periodic live-fire evaluations at established ranges such as Ashuluk in Astrakhan Oblast. Units of the 6th Air and Air Defense Army are regularly reported participating in these activities. Specific training schedules or live-fire results for the 1529th Guards ZRP are not publicly detailed.
Modernization Status
Across Russia, S-300PS units have been progressively replaced by S-400 and S-350 systems. Several regiments in the St. Petersburg region have publicly rearmed with S-400. As of the latest open reporting, the 1529th Guards ZRP continues to be associated with S-300PS. Any decision or delivery to rearm this regiment has not been officially announced in publicly accessible sources.
Known Identifiers and Aliases
Observed identifiers include 1529th Guards Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment, 1529th Guards ZRP, and military unit 16802 (Russian abbreviation v/ch 16802). References to HQ indicate the headquarters element co-located with the regiment’s main garrison.
Information Gaps and Confidence Notes
Not publicly available are precise order of battle, current launcher counts by battalion, specific equipment inventory, detailed base layouts, and exact firing position coordinates. This analysis reflects verifiable open-source identification of the unit, its garrison association with Vaganovo under military unit 16802, its long-standing linkage to S-300PS, and standard characteristics of the S-300PS system and typical Russian PVO regimental organization. Where data are not public, no assumptions are made.