333rd Radio-Technical Regiment
Unit Overview and Identification
The provided identifiers point to the 333rd Radio-Technical Regiment (RTR) of the Russian Aerospace Forces’ Radio-Technical Troops, referenced as military unit number 17646 (v/ch 17646). Multiple entries using the same unit number with letter suffixes (17646-F, 17646-M, 17646-S, 17646-K, 17646-V, 17646-B, 17646-D, 17646-E) reflect postal designators used by the Russian Ministry of Defense to differentiate subordinate detachments under a single parent unit. The mention of a receiving radio center likely refers to a communications-oriented node supporting command-and-control. Authoritative open sources tying each suffix to specific sites or functions are not publicly available; this assessment does not ascribe precise locations or roles to individual suffixes.
Mission and Roles
Radio-Technical Regiments provide continuous airspace surveillance, detection, and tracking of airborne objects; identification friend-or-foe (IFF); contribution to the recognized air picture; early warning of incursions; target designation for air defense missile brigades and fighter aviation; air traffic control support for military flights in assigned zones; and assistance to search-and-rescue operations. These functions are performed 24/7 via a network of fixed, semi-fixed, and mobile radar posts.
Organizational Structure
A typical Radio-Technical Regiment comprises a regimental headquarters and command post, one or more radio-technical battalions with several radar companies operating dispersed posts, a communications company, maintenance and logistics elements, and security. The listed 333rd Radio-Technical Regiment HQ entry indicates a central staff and command node that fuses sensor inputs from subordinate sites and forwards a consolidated air picture to higher echelons. Command is normally exercised within a regional Air and Air Defense Army of the Russian Aerospace Forces; specific subordination of v/ch 17646 is not publicly documented in the provided material.
Interpretation of Letter-Suffix Designators
Letter suffixes appended to the unit number (e.g., 17646-F, -M, -S, -K, -V, -B, -D, -E) are standard postal designations used in Russia to route correspondence to separate companies, detachments, or remote posts belonging to the same military unit. In Radio-Technical Troops, such detachments commonly correspond to radar companies manning fixed or semi-fixed sites, mobile reserve radar groups, communications nodes, or an alternate command post. There is no universal, open standard mapping each letter to a specific function; without official documentation, assigning roles or locations to each suffix would be speculative and is not provided here.
Receiving Radio Center
The term receiving radio center generally denotes a communications facility focused on radio reception and associated signal processing in support of long-range command-and-control. Typical features include antenna fields (for example, log-periodic or directional arrays), sheltered equipment rooms, and secure links to the regimental command post. Such centers are usually part of communications troops or a unit’s communications company; their presence alongside an RTR designation may reflect collocation or direct support rather than a separate radar function. No authoritative open-source evidence is available to confirm the organizational placement of a receiving radio center under v/ch 17646.
Infrastructure Characteristics of Dispersed Sites
Dispersed RTR sites typically include prepared radar pads, tower foundations or lattice masts (approximately 20–50 meters depending on sensor type), radomes where required, diesel generator houses with fuel storage for autonomous operation, equipment shelters, line-of-sight microwave or fiber-optic communications links to the regimental command post, heated technical buildings for electronics, internal roads, and perimeter security with fencing and guard facilities. Many legacy fixed sites are on elevated terrain or near coastlines and borders to optimize line-of-sight and low-altitude coverage.
Sensor Portfolio and Representative Capabilities
Radio-Technical Troops field a mix of legacy and modern radars; while unit-specific inventories are not publicly confirmed for v/ch 17646, representative systems in service include VHF-band long-range radars such as Nebo-M (55Zh6M) with published aerodynamic target detection ranges up to approximately 600 km, L- and S-band three-dimensional radars such as 59N6 (Protivnik family) with ranges around 400–450 km and 96L6 series with ranges up to roughly 300 km, low-altitude coverage radars such as 48Ya6-K1 Podlet-K1 with published ranges near 300 km, and legacy height-finders such as PRV-13 or PRV-16. Actual performance depends on variant, configuration, terrain, and operational mode.
Command, Control, and Data Integration
RTR sites transmit track data to regimental and higher-echelon command posts using automated air defense control systems over protected terrestrial and radio-relay links. At the regional level, data are fused into the recognized air picture used by air defense missile brigades and fighter aviation. Russia employs several families of automated command-and-control systems for this purpose; while specific systems at v/ch 17646 are not publicly documented, RTV data commonly interface with regional air defense automation suites (for example, Baikal-1M or successor systems) through standardized data exchange protocols.
Operational Posture and Coverage Considerations
A regiment with multiple letter-suffix detachments typically maintains a geographically dispersed network to ensure overlapping radar coverage, mitigate terrain masking, and provide redundancy against outages or maintenance cycles. Sites are positioned to cover low-altitude approaches, major urban-industrial areas, and critical infrastructure. Mobile radars can be deployed to reinforce sectors during exercises or heightened readiness. Without authoritative geospatial data, specific coverage arcs or site coordinates for the 333rd RTR are not provided.
Security and Protection Measures
RTR facilities are controlled-access military sites. Typical measures include perimeter fencing, controlled gates, guard posts, lighting, surveillance cameras, and restricted-area signage. Essential equipment is hardened through siting, dispersion, and redundancy; some posts maintain organic small-arms security teams, while broader air defense protection is provided at the regional level by dedicated surface-to-air missile units. Detailed security layouts for v/ch 17646 sites are not publicly available.
Logistics, Power, and Sustainability
Sustained radar operations rely on dual power sources: commercial grid connections where available and on-site diesel generators for autonomy, with fuel reserves sized for extended independent operation. Maintenance workshops and spares storage support radar uptime, while winterization measures (heating, shelters, cable insulation) are standard in colder regions. Rotational maintenance cycles and calibration procedures are used to preserve sensor accuracy and availability; unit-specific schedules are not publicly disclosed.
Subordination and Command Relationships
Radio-Technical Regiments are subordinate to the Russian Aerospace Forces within regional Air and Air Defense Armies. They coordinate closely with fighter aviation regiments and surface-to-air missile brigades to provide early warning and target data. The specific higher headquarters for the 333rd RTR (v/ch 17646) is not identified in the provided material and is not confirmed in authoritative open sources accessible within the constraints of this assessment.
Open-Source Research Vectors
Publicly accessible sources that sometimes disclose non-sensitive details about Russian units include government procurement records, local court documents, municipal planning notices, veterans’ associations, and satellite imagery of known radar sites. When available, such sources can corroborate unit numbers, garrison towns, or maintenance contracts. This report does not include site coordinates or personally identifiable information; where documentation is absent or ambiguous, no inference is made.
Intelligence Gaps and Confidence
Unresolved items include the exact geolocations and functions of each 17646 letter-suffix detachment, the current equipment inventory by site, the regiment’s higher-echelon subordination, and the organizational status of the referenced receiving radio center. Confidence is high regarding general RTR roles, infrastructure, and operating practices, and low regarding specific attributions for the listed suffixes due to lack of authoritative open-source confirmation.
Classification and Disclosure Constraints
Exact facility addresses, coordinates, and current operational deployments are not publicly released and may be classified. This assessment intentionally excludes such details and relies on general, non-sensitive characteristics of Radio-Technical Troops consistent with open-source reporting.