337th Radio-Technical Regiment
Unit Identification and Provided Designations
The entries identify the 337th Radio-Technical Regiment (military unit number [v/ch] 51952) with an HQ element and the 2264th Radio-Technical Battalion (v/ch 73538) with an HQ element. The dataset repeats the regimental entry and includes appended suffixes “-P” and “-E” to 51952; such suffixes do not form part of official Russian Ministry of Defense unit numbers and appear to be external notations. In Russian practice, a military unit number (voinskaya chast, v/ch) is a unique administrative identifier used in orders, personnel records, and contracts.
Organizational Role and Mission
Radio-Technical Troops (RTV) are a branch of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) tasked with continuous radar surveillance of national airspace, detection and tracking of aerial objects, and provision of target data to ground-based air defense units and fighter aviation. Following the 1 August 2015 merger that created the VKS (combining the Air Force and the Aerospace Defense Forces), the RTV remained a dedicated branch, maintaining nationwide radar coverage and contributing to the integrated air and missile defense system.
Structure and Subordination
A radio-technical regiment typically comprises a regimental headquarters and command post, several radio-technical battalions, and a distributed network of fixed and mobile radar posts. Each battalion controls multiple companies or posts that operate specific radar systems and height-finders. RTV regiments are subordinated to an Air and Air Defense Army within a military district (e.g., the 4th, 6th, 11th, or 14th Air and Air Defense Armies, or the 45th Air and Air Defense Army of the Northern Fleet). Battalion numbering such as the “2264th” is consistent with RTV patterns. Open sources available for this report do not provide authoritative public confirmation linking v/ch 73538 to v/ch 51952; the exact hierarchical relationship between these two entries is therefore not confirmed here.
Site Typologies and Infrastructure Characteristics
Sites associated with radio-technical regiments include: a regimental HQ and command post with fixed communications, power infrastructure, maintenance facilities, and accommodations; battalion command posts; fixed radar positions featuring radar pads or foundations, antenna masts, shelters, and secured communications; and mobile deployment areas for truck‑ or trailer‑mounted radars. Mast systems such as the 40V6 series (e.g., 40V6M/40V6MD, approximately 24 m and 40 m) are employed to elevate radar antennas for improved line-of-sight. Permanent radar posts are typically sited on elevated terrain or coastal headlands; mobile posts can be repositioned to strengthen coverage during training or heightened alert.
Equipment Portfolio Used by Russian Radio-Technical Troops
RTV units employ a mix of legacy and modern radar systems to create an overlapping radar field. Systems documented in open sources across RTV formations include: 55Zh6M Nebo‑M multiband 3D radar; 48Ya6‑K1 Podlet‑K1 low‑altitude 3D radar; 64L6 Gamma‑S1 3D radar; 59N6 Protivnik‑G 3D radar; 96L6/96L6‑1 all‑altitude radars (also used with S‑300/400 units); 51U6 Kasta‑2 series low‑altitude radars; modernized VHF sets such as P‑18‑2; VHF 3D systems like 1L119 Nebo‑SVU; and height‑finders such as PRV‑13/PRV‑16/PRV‑17. The specific radar complements assigned to v/ch 51952 or v/ch 73538 are not identified in the provided data and are not confirmed in open sources cited here.
Operational Integration with Air and Missile Defense
RTV regiments provide the recognized air picture to the VKS command-and-control network, enabling early warning, track quality improvement, and target designation for surface-to-air missile units (e.g., S‑300PS/PM/PM2 and S‑400 Triumf) and fighter aviation tasked with air defense. Radar data from RTV sites are fused at higher echelons to support surveillance, identification, and engagement management across an Air and Air Defense Army’s area of responsibility. Coordination with civil air traffic services occurs in defined frameworks to deconflict military and civil airspace use.
Interpretation of Suffixes and Repetition in the Provided Entries
The repeated listing of the 337th Radio‑Technical Regiment and the appearance of “51952‑P” and “51952‑E” likely reflect external cataloging practices rather than official Russian designations. Russian military unit numbers are numeric; letter suffixes are not used in formal unit numbering. Without original Ministry of Defense documentation, no authoritative meaning can be assigned to the “‑P” or “‑E” suffixes.
Expected Subunit Composition and Functions
Within a radio-technical regiment, battalions supervise radar companies and posts responsible for sector surveillance, low-altitude coverage, height measurement, and data relay. Subunits maintain fixed duty sites for continuous coverage and field mobile radars for gap-filling or reinforcement. Battalion and regimental command posts aggregate tracks, perform initial identification, and forward air picture data to higher echelons and adjacent units, ensuring continuity of the radar field across geographic boundaries.
Physical Indicators of Radio-Technical Sites
Characteristic features of RTV infrastructure observable at established sites include: cleared radar arcs; concrete or asphalt radar pads; guyed lattice masts or telescopic masts; radome‑covered antennas in some cases; generators and dedicated power lines; microwave or troposcatter link arrays; and vehicle parks for mobile radar and support vehicles. Fixed sites may include hardened shelters and buried cable trenches. These features support persistent operation and integration into the regional air-defense network.
Public Reporting and Data Availability
Russian Ministry of Defense releases and regional media periodically report RTV training events, radar duty rotations, and modernization activities; however, comprehensive official rosters mapping every military unit number to specific garrisons and subordinate structures are not publicly issued. The provided entries do not include geographic coordinates or locations, and authoritative open-source confirmation of the garrison locations or direct subordination between v/ch 51952 and v/ch 73538 is not available in this report. If such details are classified, they cannot be provided.
Summary Assessment
The dataset enumerates entities consistent with the Russian Aerospace Forces’ Radio-Technical Troops: the 337th Radio-Technical Regiment (v/ch 51952) with HQ and the 2264th Radio-Technical Battalion (v/ch 73538) with HQ. RTV units furnish radar surveillance and airspace control data integral to Russia’s integrated air and missile defense and to fighter operations. Absent authoritative public documentation tying these specific unit numbers to confirmed locations, equipment sets, or direct hierarchical links, this analysis focuses on the structural, functional, and technical characteristics of RTV formations that are documented in open sources.