15th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade
Unit Identification and Designations
The formation referenced as the 15th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade is associated in open-source listings with military unit (v/ch) 30151. The same formation is also referenced as the 15th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment in some materials, which reflects historical reorganizations in Soviet/Russian air defense where units have been redesignated between brigade and regiment echelons. The provided entries include repeated variants such as "/B 15th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade" without location details. No official, publicly released Russian Ministry of Defense document confirming the exact garrison or current organizational status of v/ch 30151 is readily available; therefore, precise location and present-day designation cannot be independently confirmed here.
Mission and Operational Role
Based on the cited equipment set (S-300PT and associated acquisition radar), the unit’s role aligns with long-range, strategic air defense within the Aerospace Forces air and missile defense structure, tasked with protecting critical infrastructure, population centers, and key military facilities from aerodynamic threats such as aircraft and cruise missiles. Units employing S-300P-family systems are integrated into regional air defense networks to provide layered coverage and coordinated target engagement.
Reported Equipment Holdings
The provided references explicitly list the S-300PT surface-to-air missile system and the 64N6 search and acquisition radar. The S-300PT is the initial production variant of the S-300P family, and the 64N6 (NATO reporting name Big Bird) is a long-range three-dimensional surveillance radar used within S-300P regimental-level configurations to supply early warning and target designation to subordinate firing units.
S-300PT System Overview
The S-300PT entered Soviet service in the late 1970s (circa 1978). It employs towed 5P85-series launchers (trailers with four launch tubes), an engagement radar 5N63 (Flap Lid A), and commonly associated acquisition radars such as 36D6 (Tin Shield) and 5N66 or 5N66M (Clam Shell) for low-altitude coverage. Standard missiles for S-300PT include the 5V55K (approximately 47 km engagement range) and 5V55KD (approximately 75 km). The later upgrade S-300PT-1 allowed use of the 5V55R missile with an engagement range of roughly 90 km. The system can guide multiple missiles against several targets simultaneously (commonly reported as up to 12 missiles against up to 6 targets), and engages across a broad altitude band extending from very low altitude to roughly 25–27 km, depending on missile.
64N6 Long-Range Radar
The 64N6 is a long-range three-dimensional surveillance and target designation radar associated with S-300P-series regiments. Open sources attribute a maximum detection range on the order of up to 300 km against high-altitude aerodynamic targets for the baseline 64N6, with later export variants (e.g., 64N6E2) reported at extended ranges. The radar provides sector or volume search, supports track-while-scan, and furnishes target data to regimental command posts and engagement radars to cue and prioritize engagements.
Organizational Structure and Command Relationships
S-300P-family formations are organized around battalion-level firing units (divizion), each built around an engagement radar and multiple launchers, typically grouped into firing batteries. A regiment commonly comprises two or three such battalions, plus a regimental command post and long-range surveillance assets such as the 64N6. In historical and some contemporary configurations, brigades aggregate multiple regiments or independent battalions. Command and control is effected through automated control systems that interface with higher-echelon air defense networks for sensor fusion, identification, and engagement authorization.
Infrastructure and Site Characteristics
Permanent S-300PT positions are characterized by a technical position for missile storage and maintenance, vehicle parks, power and communications nodes, and prepared firing positions with revetted pads for towed launchers. Engagement radars are typically located centrally within a battalion position to maintain line-of-sight to launchers, while acquisition radars may be sited to optimize coverage and mitigate terrain masking. Road access suitable for heavy tractor units and semi-trailers is essential, given the towed nature of the PT variant’s launchers and support equipment.
Mobility and Deployment Considerations
Unlike later self-propelled S-300PS/PM launchers on 8x8 chassis, S-300PT uses towed launchers, which increases emplacement and displacement times and imposes higher demands on site preparation and roadability. Typical deployment of a PT battalion requires site survey, leveling of launcher pads, mast erection for low-altitude radars where applicable, and alignment of the engagement radar. Set-up and tear-down are appreciably longer than for S-300PS, which affects survivability and dictates a preference for well-prepared, semi-permanent positions in peacetime.
Operational Coverage and Engagement Envelope
With 5V55K and 5V55KD missiles, S-300PT provides area air defense with nominal engagement ranges of approximately 47–75 km against aerodynamic targets, extended to about 90 km with the 5V55R when the PT-1 upgrade is present. Engagement altitude spans from very low altitude (tens of meters, subject to terrain and radar line-of-sight) to roughly 25–27 km. Target sets include tactical aircraft, stand-off munitions within kinematic reach, and cruise missiles under favorable detection and tracking conditions. Long-range surveillance by 64N6 extends early warning beyond the engagement envelope, allowing cueing and load-sharing across battalions within the regiment or brigade.
Modernization and Current Status of S-300PT in Russia
Public reporting indicates that the S-300PT variant was progressively withdrawn from front-line Russian service as S-300PS, S-300PM/PM2, and S-400 systems replaced it, with the PT largely phased out by the mid-2010s. Remaining S-300PT equipment in Russia has been described in open sources primarily in contexts such as storage, training, or legacy positions pending upgrade. The 64N6 radar family remains relevant within later S-300P-series and has seen evolutionary development; however, newer systems (e.g., 91N6 for S-400 and 96L6 series) have assumed primary roles in many formations.
Data Gaps and Verification
The provided material does not include geospatial coordinates, timestamps, or photographic corroboration for v/ch 30151 or its positions. Official Russian Ministry of Defense publications accessible to the public do not confirm the precise garrison, current subordination, or present-day equipment set of military unit 30151. Consequently, this analysis confines itself to equipment characteristics and typical organizational and infrastructural patterns applicable to S-300PT formations and regimental-level 64N6 radar employment.
Interpretation of Repeated Entries and Notation
The repeated references to 15th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade and variants such as "/B 15th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade" and a single mention of 15th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment likely reflect multiple entries for subordinate elements or historical naming variations in source compilations. The notation "/B" is not standardized across open-source catalogs and, without context, cannot be conclusively decoded. All such entries in the provided material are treated as referring to the same formation associated with v/ch 30151 and S-300PT equipment.
Summary Assessment
The 15th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade (v/ch 30151), as referenced, is associated with legacy S-300PT equipment and a regimental-level 64N6 long-range radar, indicating a mission set of strategic area air defense consistent with the S-300P family. The S-300PT provides engagement ranges up to roughly 75 km with 5V55KD (approximately 90 km if upgraded to PT-1 with 5V55R), supported by surveillances such as 36D6 and 64N6 for early warning and target designation. In current Russian practice, S-300PT has been largely superseded by newer systems; absent authoritative, up-to-date disclosure on v/ch 30151, the precise current status of this formation and its equipment cannot be confirmed from open sources.