26th Guards Air Defense Division
Unit Identification
The 26th Guards Air Defense Division is a formation of the Air and Missile Defense Troops of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS). It carries the Guards honorary title, indicating distinguished historical service. In open public records, its headquarters is associated with military unit number 55345.
Headquarters and Military Unit Number
Military unit 55345 is publicly cited in Russian government documentation (such as procurement and legal notices) as the divisional headquarters element for the 26th Guards Air Defense Division. Specific street addresses and internal facility layout are not published in official releases and are not provided here.
Command Subordination
Open-source reporting places the division under the 11th Red Banner Air and Air Defense Army of the Russian Aerospace Forces, which is responsible for air defense across large portions of the Russian Far East within the Eastern Military District. This aligns the division with regional fighter aviation units and radio-technical troops under the same army-level command.
Area of Responsibility
The division’s area of responsibility is reported to encompass key parts of Khabarovsk Krai, including the Khabarovsk–Komsomolsk-on-Amur axis and adjacent approaches. This region contains critical industrial and military infrastructure, including the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Plant and major air bases and transport nodes, necessitating layered air defense coverage.
Organizational Structure
The division’s structure follows the standard VKS air defense divisional model: several anti-aircraft missile regiments (each with multiple surface-to-air missile battalions), supported by radio-technical units for radar coverage, a divisional command post with automated control systems, and technical and logistics subunits for missile storage, maintenance, and transport. Open sources frequently associate the division with anti-aircraft missile regiments stationed around Khabarovsk and Komsomolsk-on-Amur.
Known Subordinate Elements (Open-Source Reporting)
Russian media and Ministry of Defense announcements since 2021 reference S-400 surface-to-air missile regiments assuming combat duty in Khabarovsk Krai (Khabarovsk area) and Komsomolsk-on-Amur. Such reports commonly name the 1529th anti-aircraft missile regiment in Khabarovsk Krai and a regiment at Komsomolsk-on-Amur, both under the 11th Air and Air Defense Army. While these regiments are repeatedly linked to the divisional structure in public reporting, formal orders of battle for the division are not comprehensively published by the Ministry of Defense.
Primary Weapon Systems
Units associated with the division are reported to be equipped with S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile systems. The S-400 family can employ multiple missile types, including 48N6DM (up to approximately 250 km engagement range) and 40N6 (Russian claims up to approximately 380–400 km against certain targets), and medium-range 9M96-series interceptors. In standard VKS practice, S-400 batteries are protected by point-defense systems such as Pantsir-S1. Earlier S-300PS series systems in the region have been progressively replaced as newer S-400 sets entered duty.
Sensors and Command-and-Control
S-400-equipped regiments typically operate with 91N6 series acquisition radars, 92N6 series engagement radars, and 96L6 all-altitude detectors. Divisional and army-level radio-technical units in the Far East commonly employ three-dimensional surveillance radars such as Nebo-M (55Zh6M), Gamma-series, and 59N6-series (Opponent) radars to extend coverage. Air-defense command posts in VKS service use standardized automated control systems to integrate missile regiments, radio-technical units, and fighter aviation for a common recognized air picture and coordinated engagements.
Infrastructure and Basing
Divisional and regimental infrastructure in this region includes hardened and semi-fixed launch positions, covered technical missile bases, fuel and transport facilities, radar sites, and command posts. Units conduct gunnery and readiness training at established VKS training ranges; Far Eastern air defense units have frequently used ranges such as Telemba (Republic of Buryatia) and Ashuluk (Astrakhan Region) for live-fire events as announced by the Ministry of Defense in multiple years. Rail and road access in Khabarovsk Krai supports movement and sustainment of missile systems and associated heavy equipment.
Operational Role
The division’s core mission is round-the-clock air defense of key administrative, industrial, and military sites within its sector and the defense of critical transport corridors. It operates within the layered defensive construct of the 11th Air and Air Defense Army, coordinating with fighter regiments (for example, Su-35S-equipped units in the region) and other air-defense formations to provide engagement options against a spectrum of aerial threats, including aircraft, cruise missiles, and certain ballistic targets within system capabilities.
Recent Publicly Reported Activity (2021–2024)
Ministry of Defense and regional media releases from 2021 onward reported S-400 regiments in Khabarovsk Krai and Komsomolsk-on-Amur assuming combat duty, replacing older S-300PS systems. Units in the Far Eastern sector of the VKS regularly conduct alert drills, march training, radar reconnaissance tasks, and integrated exercises under the 11th Air and Air Defense Army, including participation in large-scale strategic exercises (for example, Vostok series). Specific internal unit schedules and combat duty rotations are not publicly disclosed.
Security and Access
Russian air-defense sites and headquarters are controlled-access military facilities guarded under federal law. Photography, surveying, and unmanned aerial vehicle operations are restricted around many military installations. Detailed access procedures, internal security protocols, and precise facility layouts are not publicly released.
Information Availability and Caveats
Authoritative Russian Ministry of Defense publications do not routinely release a detailed order of battle, exact addresses, or complete personnel and equipment counts for air-defense divisions. Where specific regimental numbering and basing are mentioned above, they reflect repeated appearances in open-source reporting and MoD announcements regarding Khabarovsk Krai and Komsomolsk-on-Amur S-400 deployments. Exact composition, manning, and internal command arrangements of the 26th Guards Air Defense Division, including the full list of subordinate units, are not comprehensively available in the public domain. Military unit 55345 is publicly associated with the divisional headquarters; further specifics beyond this identifier are not provided here.