41st Air Defense Division
Executive Summary
The 41st Air Defense Division (military unit 29286) is a formation of the Russian Aerospace Forces’ Air and Missile Defense Troops, headquartered in Novosibirsk, Central Military District. Open-source reporting associates the 24th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade (military unit 44360) and the 388th Guards Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (military unit 97646) with this division, both operating S-300PS (NATO: SA-10B Grumble) surface-to-air missile systems. The formation provides area and point air defense coverage within its sector, prioritizing key infrastructure and transportation nodes in and around Novosibirsk Oblast.
Organizational Structure and Command Relationships
The 41st Air Defense Division is part of the Air and Missile Defense component of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) and operates under the Central Military District’s Air and Air Defense Forces Army (commonly referenced as the 14th Army of Air Force and Air Defense). Division-level responsibilities include operational control of subordinate anti-aircraft missile units and integration with radio-technical (radar) assets, as well as coordination with adjacent formations through the national air defense command-and-control network.
Headquarters and Administrative Identifiers
Headquarters: Novosibirsk, Russian Federation. Administrative designation: military unit 29286. In Russian practice, the military unit number (в/ч) is an official administrative identifier used for internal correspondence and addressing. Publicly released details typically do not include precise street-level locations or internal layouts for operational security reasons.
Identified Subordinate Units
Units publicly associated with the division include the 24th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade (military unit 44360), equipped with S-300PS, and the 388th Guards Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (military unit 97646), also equipped with S-300PS. The “Guards” title is an honorific reflecting historical distinction. The Russian Ministry of Defense does not routinely publish full peacetime garrison lists, detailed order of battle, or exact battery counts; therefore, while these associations appear in open sources, granular subunit dispositions are not officially disclosed.
Area of Responsibility and Strategic Considerations
Novosibirsk is a major industrial and transportation hub on the Trans-Siberian corridor, with significant rail, road, and air infrastructure, including Tolmachevo airport and key bridges over the Ob River. The division’s assets contribute to the layered air defense of this region within the Central Military District, supporting the protection of critical infrastructure and ensuring connectivity along national east–west lines of communication.
System Capabilities: S-300PS (SA-10B Grumble)
The S-300PS is a mobile, medium-to-long range surface-to-air missile system fielded in the mid-1980s. Typical components include 5P85S/5P85D self-propelled launchers (four missiles per launcher) on MAZ-543M chassis; the 30N6 engagement radar; and surveillance/low-altitude radars commonly reported with S-300P-series units, such as the 36D6 (Tin Shield) and 76N6 (Clam Shell), with some configurations using 5N64S/64N6 (Big Bird) family surveillance radars. With 5V55-series missiles, the S-300PS provides engagement ranges up to approximately 90 km (missile-variant dependent) and engagement altitudes up to roughly 27 km, with the engagement radar generally able to guide up to 12 missiles against up to six targets simultaneously. The system is designed for rapid mobility, with a widely cited deployment time on the order of minutes from traveling configuration.
Unit Employment and Disposition Practices
S-300PS units are typically deployed in dispersed firing positions around defended assets to complicate adversary targeting. Sites can be semi-prepared to facilitate rapid occupation and egress. As with other VKS air defense formations, batteries and battalions are integrated into higher-echelon command posts and national radar coverage, enabling coordinated engagements and deconfliction with adjacent units. Specific coordinates, battery counts, and permanent site layouts for the 24th Brigade and the 388th Guards Regiment are not publicly released.
Training and Readiness
Air defense units in the Central Military District routinely conduct tactical mobility, radar counter-countermeasure, and live-engagement training. Russian Ministry of Defense announcements regularly note live-fire air defense events at ranges such as Ashuluk (Astrakhan Oblast) and Telemba (Republic of Buryatia), which are used for S-300-series firing exercises. While individual unit participation may not always be specified in public summaries, these ranges are standard venues for VKS air defense proficiency and missile firing qualifications.
Modernization and Sustainment
Across the Russian Aerospace Forces, S-300PS units have been undergoing phased replacement and life-extension. National modernization priorities include fielding S-400 Triumf and S-350 Vityaz systems, while sustaining remaining S-300PS inventories through refurbishment and missile life-extension measures. As of publicly available reporting through 2024, S-300PS remains in active service in multiple districts. Any specific replacement timelines or upgrade decisions for military units 44360 and 97646 have not been officially published.
Infrastructure and Support
Operational S-300PS units require dedicated maintenance and missile-technical support, transport and fuel elements, communications, and power-generation assets. These functions are typically provided by organic support companies and higher-echelon logistical structures. Details on the location and capacity of missile-technical bases, storage depots, and repair facilities supporting the 41st Air Defense Division are not publicly released.
Legal and Doctrinal Context
The division operates within the Russian national air defense framework under the Aerospace Forces, integrating with radio-technical troops and adjacent air defense divisions. Its mission aligns with doctrinal tasks of territorial air defense: deterrence and engagement of aerodynamic threats, provision of coverage for critical state and military infrastructure, and support to unified airspace control and air policing within its sector.
Information Availability and Gaps
Public sources confirm the existence of the 41st Air Defense Division (military unit 29286) in Novosibirsk and associate the 24th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade (military unit 44360) and the 388th Guards Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (military unit 97646) with S-300PS. However, precise peacetime garrisons, numbers of firing batteries, missile stock levels, detailed command-post equipment suites, and current modernization status of each unit are not officially disclosed. Where specific data are not available, this report refrains from assumptions and limits itself to widely documented characteristics of the S-300PS system and standard VKS air defense organizational practices.