1530th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment
Unit Identification
The 1530th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (1530th ZRP; Russian: 1530-й зенитный ракетный полк) is a formation of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) Air and Missile Defense Troops. Its numerical designation is military unit 31458 (в/ч 31458). Open-source reporting attributes this regiment with the S-400 Triumf long-range surface-to-air missile system.
Command Affiliation
The regiment is part of the VKS integrated air and missile defense structure in the Southern Military District. In peacetime it is subordinate through the VKS air defense chain of command under the 4th Air and Air Defense Army, which is responsible for air defense coverage of southern Russia, including the Black Sea littoral. Specific higher-echelon divisional alignments for this unit are not consistently published in official sources.
Garrison and Location
Open sources place the garrison and headquarters of military unit 31458 in Novorossiysk, Krasnodar Krai, Russian Federation. This basing aligns with the mission to defend the Novorossiysk naval base, coastal infrastructure, and the northeastern sector of the Black Sea. Precise street-level location data and internal layout of the headquarters are not publicly released in official documentation.
Primary Mission and Area of Responsibility
The regiment’s mission is to provide long-range air and missile defense for critical military and economic infrastructure along Russia’s Black Sea coast in Krasnodar Krai, including the Novorossiysk naval base and associated port and energy facilities. Within the regional integrated air defense system, the unit contributes high-altitude and long-range engagement capability against aerodynamic targets (fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, cruise missiles, UAVs) and provides limited defense against short-range ballistic missile-class threats, in coordination with other VKS and Navy assets.
Equipment and Capabilities (S-400 Triumf)
The regiment is reported to be equipped with the S-400 Triumf. The system’s published components include the 55K6A command post, 91N6A (Big Bird) long-range acquisition radar, 92N6A (Grave Stone) engagement radar, and 96L6-series all-altitude radar. The S-400 can employ multiple missile types, notably 40N6 (advertised range up to 400 km), 48N6DM (up to 250 km), and 9M96-series (up to ~120 km), enabling layered engagement envelopes from medium to long range. Detection ranges for large aerial targets are publicly stated up to several hundred kilometers (commonly cited up to ~600 km for the primary acquisition radar under favorable conditions). Exact missile loads and loadouts for this regiment are not publicly disclosed.
Organizational Structure (Open-Source Profile)
An S-400 anti-aircraft missile regiment typically fields two to three battalions (divizions). Each battalion commonly includes a command and control element, a 92N6A engagement radar, associated acquisition sensors, and up to eight transporter-erector-launchers (TELs). Regimental-level assets normally include the primary 91N6A acquisition radar and a 55K6A command post, along with technical, logistics, engineering, and communications subunits. The precise number of battalions and TELs in the 1530th Regiment is not officially published.
Reequipment Timeline (Public Reporting)
Russian Ministry of Defense and state media reporting in the late 2010s indicated S-400 deliveries to VKS units in Krasnodar Krai, with crews undergoing acceptance and live-fire training at the Kapustin Yar/Ashuluk ranges (Astrakhan Oblast). By 2020, open-source reporting indicated the Novorossiysk-based regiment was operating the S-400 on combat duty. Specific delivery dates and internal reequipment milestones for military unit 31458 have not been comprehensively detailed in official public releases.
Deployment and Site Characteristics
Regimental S-400 launch positions in the Novorossiysk area have been documented in open-source satellite imagery over the past several years on elevated terrain around the city and along the coastal approaches, consistent with standard site selection to maximize radar line-of-sight in mountainous coastal regions. Typical site features include prepared pads for TELs, bermed radar positions, short-haul access roads, and dispersal to reduce vulnerability. Exact coordinates, pad counts, and current occupancy status for specific sites are not consistently confirmed in official sources and can change based on operational requirements.
Integration with Regional Air Defense
The regiment operates within a layered air defense network alongside other VKS long- and medium-range SAM units in southern Russia and, where applicable, naval and ground-based short-range systems that provide point defense. Regional integration typically includes data exchange with early-warning and low-altitude surveillance radars and coordination with fighter aviation of the 4th Air and Air Defense Army. While Pantsir-S1 point-defense systems are commonly paired with S-400 sites in Russian service to protect radars and launchers from low-altitude threats, specific co-location details for this regiment are not officially published.
Operational Activity Notations
Since 2022, Krasnodar Krai has frequently reported air defense activity against unmanned aerial vehicles and other aerial threats. Public statements by regional authorities and the Russian Ministry of Defense rarely attribute specific engagements to individual regiments; therefore, while military unit 31458 is responsible for long-range coverage in the Novorossiysk sector, definitive, unit-level attribution for particular intercepts is not available in open sources.
Infrastructure and Support
As with other S-400 regiments, the 1530th would require a technical battery for missile storage, checkout, and preparation; transport and reloading vehicles; communications and command-support assets; power generation; engineering and camouflage equipment; and security elements. Maintenance, logistics, and specialized radar calibration support are integral to sustaining 24/7 combat duty. The specific composition and capacity of these support elements for military unit 31458 have not been publicly detailed.
Coverage Considerations
If deployed on elevated sites around Novorossiysk, the S-400’s engagement zones would typically provide coverage across the northeastern Black Sea, the Taman Peninsula approaches, and inland areas of Krasnodar Krai. Actual coverage depends on deployment geometry, radar siting and mast arrangements, terrain masking from the Caucasus foothills, and missile type employed. Engagement envelopes published for S-400 represent theoretical maxima and can be constrained by target altitude, radar horizon, electronic countermeasures, and rules of engagement.
Data Reliability and Gaps
Key facts—unit designation (1530th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment), military unit number (31458), VKS affiliation, location in Novorossiysk, and S-400 equipment—are supported by open-source reporting. However, several details remain either classified or not consistently disclosed in official publications: exact order of battle (battalion and TEL counts), precise HQ address and internal layout, current missile inventory by type, detailed readiness metrics, and real-time site occupancy. Where essential details are not publicly available, this assessment refrains from inference.