42nd Guards Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment
Unit Identification
Designation: 42nd Guards Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (Russian: 42-й гвардейский зенитный ракетный полк). Military unit number: 45813 (в/ч 45813). Equipment: S-300PS (SA-10B Grumble). Service branch: Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS), Air and Air Defence Forces component. The “Guards” title is an honorific denoting distinguished wartime lineage carried forward by successor formations.
Mission and Operational Role
The regiment’s core mission is ground-based air defense of assigned critical infrastructure, military facilities, and population centers within its sector, employing the S-300PS as part of a layered, networked air-defense architecture. Tasks include continuous combat-duty alert (боевое дежурство), deterrence and interception of hostile aircraft, stand-off weapons, and certain classes of cruise missiles, as well as integration into regional and national airspace control and early warning networks.
Higher Command Relationships
The regiment is part of the Russian Aerospace Forces’ air-defense (PVO) structure. Regiments of this type are typically subordinated to an Air Defence Division within an Air and Air Defence Army of the VKS. Public official sources do not openly list the current higher headquarters for military unit 45813; therefore, a specific parent formation is not identified here.
Primary Equipment: S-300PS System Overview
The S-300PS (introduced into Soviet PVO service in the early 1980s) is a mobile, road-deployable surface-to-air missile system using 5P85S/5P85D self-propelled TELs (each carrying four transport-launch containers) and the Flap Lid family of engagement radars. Typical missiles are of the 5V55 series; the 5V55R provides an engagement range up to approximately 75 km against aerodynamic targets, with engagement altitudes from very low level (on the order of 10 meters, when supported by a low-altitude detector) up to roughly 25–27 km. Guidance is command/TVM (track-via-missile). A firing unit can engage multiple targets simultaneously (commonly cited as up to 6) with two missiles per target.
Sensors and Radar Support
An S-300PS regiment employs an engagement radar from the Flap Lid family, supplemented by surveillance and low-altitude detection radars such as the 36D6 (Tin Shield) 3D radar and optional 76N6/5N66 low-altitude detectors, often mounted on 40V6 masts for improved horizon and clutter performance. Connectivity to higher-echelon early warning assets (e.g., long-range ground-based radars and A-50 AEW&C reporting) is standard practice within the VKS integrated air-defense network.
Organizational Structure
In peacetime, regiments equipped with S-300PS typically consist of a headquarters and staff elements, two to three surface-to-air missile battalions (дивизионы), a technical battery/section for missile preparation and maintenance, signals/communications units, logistics and transport, medical support, and security elements. Each battalion normally fields an engagement radar, associated command post vehicles, 5P85-series TELs (commonly in sets of 6–12 per battalion), power-supply vehicles, and radar support assets. Exact current subunit count and equipment density for military unit 45813 are not publicly disclosed.
Regiment Headquarters (military unit 45813) Functions
The headquarters provides command and control, operations planning, personnel administration, logistics and maintenance management, and coordination with adjacent/regional air-defense units and higher echelons. The HQ complex typically includes a regimental command post, communications and data-link facilities for integration into automated air-defense control systems (e.g., Senezh- or Baikal-family ACS at the formation level), vehicle parks, technical positions for missile storage and preparation, ammunition and fuel depots, and perimeter security infrastructure.
Site Layout and Infrastructure Characteristics
S-300PS firing positions generally exhibit a dispersed layout with revetted or bermed launch pads arranged in arcs or rings around an engagement radar, with separate pads or masted sites for surveillance and low-altitude radars. Technical positions (for missile handling and conditioning), engineering support (power generation, cabling), and field-deployed command posts are set back from the launcher footprint. Permanent regimental garrisons include hardened storage, workshops, and vehicle maintenance bays; exact locations and coordinates for military unit 45813 are not published in official open sources and are not provided here.
Mobility and Deployment
The S-300PS is designed for high mobility with self-propelled TELs (MAZ-7910 chassis family) and rapidly erectable radars. Typical transition from march to combat configuration is on the order of several minutes under trained conditions. Firing units can redeploy between fixed, prepared sites and ad hoc field positions to complicate adversary targeting and to align coverage with operational priorities. Road mobility enables rotations between duty sites, exercises, and training ranges.
Operational Readiness and Training
Air-defense regiments on combat duty maintain continuous alert rosters, with crews trained for rapid target acquisition, identification, engagement, and emission control discipline. Live-fire events for S-300-series units are periodically conducted at instrumented ranges such as Ashuluk (Astrakhan Oblast) and Telemba (Republic of Buryatia), subject to scheduling and availability. Routine training includes command-post exercises, electronic launches, radar-operator proficiency, convoy/mobility drills, and interoperability with adjacent VKS and radio-technical units.
Integration and Command-and-Control
The regiment operates as part of an integrated air-defense environment, exchanging tracks and engagement orders via automated command systems and voice/data links with higher headquarters and neighboring units. Standard practice includes centralized target allocation from divisional/army-level control posts, with the regiment’s command post deconflicting engagements, managing emissions, and coordinating with short-range point-defense systems (e.g., Pantsir-S) for protection of radars and launchers.
Modernization Context
Across the VKS, S-300PS regiments have been progressively re-equipped over the last decade with S-400 or upgraded S-300PM2 systems as part of broader national air-defense modernization. Nevertheless, S-300PS remains in operational service in multiple regions as of 2024, providing additional depth and coverage in the layered defense architecture. Public sources do not confirm a completed re-equipment of military unit 45813; absent official disclosure, this report reflects the S-300PS equipment status stated in the query.
Capabilities and Limitations
Within its engagement envelope, the S-300PS provides multi-target interception against aerodynamic threats with rapid reaction, networked cueing, and all-weather operation. Limitations relative to newer systems include shorter engagement ranges, fewer engagement channels, and older-generation electronic counter-countermeasures compared to S-400/48N6- and 40N6-series capabilities. Effectiveness depends on radar siting, integration with low-altitude detectors, electromagnetic environment, and the availability of overlapping coverage from adjacent batteries and point-defense assets.
Publicly Available Information and Omissions
Military unit number (в/ч) 45813 and the designation “42nd Guards Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment” are widely referenced in open-source directories and reporting. However, official channels do not publish a current street address, exact garrison coordinates, manning levels, or a detailed order of battle for this unit. Accordingly, this report omits precise geospatial data and any information not publicly released or verifiable through open, authoritative sources.