335th Radio-Technical Regiment
Unit Overview
The 335th Radio-Technical Regiment is a formation of the Radio-Technical Troops within the Russian Aerospace Forces, responsible for continuous airspace surveillance, detection, tracking, and identification of aerial objects. Radio-Technical Troops form the ground-based radar network that underpins national and regional air defense by generating the recognized air picture and providing target data and flight-support information to air defense command posts and anti-aircraft missile units.
Nomenclature and Unit Numbering
The provided entries consistently associate the 335th Radio-Technical Regiment with the designation “military unit 18401.” In Russian practice, military unit numbers (в/ч) identify administrative entities. Suffixes appended in open-source compilations (e.g., 18401-A, 18401-E, 18401-G, 18401-I, 18401-K, 18401-L, 18401-M) are commonly used by analysts to differentiate geographically dispersed subordinate sites or companies under a single parent unit number; such suffixing is a cataloging convention rather than an official Ministry of Defense designation. Without independent corroboration, the precise mapping of each suffix to a specific sub-site cannot be confirmed here.
Summary of Provided Entries
The dataset lists: 335th Radio-Technical Regiment; 335th Radio-Technical Regiment HQ; multiple instances of “/R 335th Radio-Technical Regiment” linked to military unit 18401 and the suffixes A, E, G, I, K (appearing twice), L, and M (appearing twice); one instance is annotated as “site possibly abandoned.” Several entries repeat the parent “military unit 18401” without suffix. The repetition and suffixing indicate an attempt to enumerate separate radar outposts or subordinate elements beneath the regiment’s administrative umbrella.
Mission and Employment
Radio-Technical Regiments operate fixed and mobile radar assets to maintain continuous airspace monitoring, ensure early warning, and support air defense and aviation control tasks. Outputs include detection and tracking data, state identification (friend-or-foe), and target-quality information for integration into higher-echelon air and air defense command posts. These regiments normally function as the primary sensor layer for Air and Air Defense Army formations and their air defense divisions.
Organizational Structure and Subordinate Sites
A Radio-Technical Regiment typically comprises a regimental command post and several subordinate radio-technical battalions and companies deployed at dispersed radar sites to maximize coverage. Each sub-site generally hosts one or more radar systems, IFF interrogators, communications links, and power/maintenance support. The letter-suffixed entries (e.g., 18401-A, 18401-E, etc.) are consistent with a network of geographically distributed radar posts reporting to the regiment, with the regimental HQ managing the integrated air picture and providing redundancy through alternate and reserve command posts.
Headquarters Site Characteristics
A regiment HQ site typically contains the command post with automated control systems, redundant communications nodes, protected facilities, maintenance areas, and administrative/logistics infrastructure. It may host one or more radar sets for local coverage and as a continuity-of-operations node, as well as fiber, radio-relay, and satellite communications to subordinate sites and higher headquarters. Backup power generation and protected equipment shelters are standard.
Typical Sensor Systems in RTV Service (Context)
As of 2024, Radio-Technical Troops across the Russian Aerospace Forces employ a mix of legacy and modern radars. Common systems include the 55Zh6M Nebo-M multi-band radar (aerodynamic target detection ranges reported up to roughly 600 km), 55Zh6U Nebo-U VHF-band radar (long-range early warning, several hundred kilometers), 96L6/96L6-Ts all-altitude 3D radar (up to approximately 300 km), 59N6-1 Protivnik-G class 3D radar (nominal ranges reported in the 300–400 km class), 48Ya6-K1 Podlet-K1 low-altitude 3D radar (up to approximately 300 km), and legacy VHF systems such as P-18 variants (generally a few hundred kilometers). Secondary surveillance and IFF functions are supported by Russian “Parol” family interrogators. The specific equipment set at each 18401-designated sub-site is not identified in the provided data.
Command, Control, and Data Integration
Radio-Technical Regiment data feeds are integrated into higher-echelon air defense command posts via automated command-and-control systems used by the Russian Aerospace Forces. The regiment consolidates inputs from its sub-sites into a recognized air picture and disseminates tracks to air defense divisions and anti-aircraft missile units for engagement control. Communications paths typically include multi-channel radio-relay, fiber, and secure radio; redundancy is a routine design feature to maintain continuity during outages.
Infrastructure and Site Layout
Typical radar sites include prepared pads for antenna systems, equipment shelters or containers, radomes where applicable, generator farms with fuel storage, perimeter security fencing, access control points, and communications towers or masts. Sites may be positioned on elevated terrain to extend radar line-of-sight and can incorporate mobile systems to augment fixed coverage or provide surge capacity. Legacy sites may show concrete hardstands sized for older large-aperture antennas, while modernized sites use modular shelters and transportable radar platforms.
Security and Force Protection
Standard protective measures at radar sites include controlled perimeters, guard posts, lighting, intrusion detection, camouflage and concealment practices, and emission control procedures. HQ facilities typically have additional hardened or protected structures for key command-and-control equipment. Redundancy in sensors and communications provides resilience against disruptions and maintenance downtime.
Site Status and Abandonment Indicators
One entry is annotated as “site possibly abandoned.” Without geospatial or photographic evidence, status cannot be verified here. Common open-source indicators of abandonment include removal of primary antenna systems, degraded or missing radomes, disused power infrastructure, overgrown access roads, persistent absence of vehicles or personnel over multiple imagery passes, and conversion of facilities to non-military use. Conversely, presence of operating generators, maintained perimeters, active communications links, and erected antenna arrays indicate operational status.
Data Quality Observations
The list contains duplicate entries for military unit 18401-K and 18401-M and multiple unsuffixed references to 18401, suggesting consolidation from heterogeneous sources or iterative cataloging. The “/R” prefix preceding some lines appears to be a source-specific notation; its meaning is not standardized in official Russian military nomenclature. No geolocation, dates, or equipment details are provided, limiting site-specific validation.
Operational Integration with Air Defense
Radio-Technical Regiment outputs are used to cue and support anti-aircraft missile units such as S-300 and S-400 formations by providing track initiation, maintenance, and identification data. The regiment’s dispersed sites contribute low-, medium-, and high-altitude coverage, enabling overlapping detection envelopes and supporting early warning timelines for air defense engagement planning.
Limitations and Classification Note
The provided entries lack coordinates, timeframes, and imagery. This precludes confirmation of exact garrisons, current manning, or real-time operational status. If specific locations, dispositions, or internal communications architectures are classified or not publicly disclosed by authoritative sources, those details cannot be provided. All technical descriptions above reflect widely reported characteristics of Radio-Technical Troops and radar systems in general service as of 2024 and are not a confirmation of the exact equipment at military unit 18401 sites.
Information Gaps and Verification Requirements
To produce site-specific assessments for the 335th Radio-Technical Regiment, the following are required: geospatial coordinates for each suffix-designated site and the HQ; date-stamped overhead imagery to assess activity; equipment identification from imagery or reliable reporting (radar model recognition, antenna signatures, radome types); communications infrastructure mapping; and official or corroborated open-source records confirming the association of military unit 18401 with the 335th Regiment and the functional role of each sub-site.