4th Air Defense Division
Organizational Overview and Mission
The 4th Air Defense Division (military unit 52116) is a formation of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) subordinated to the 1st Air and Missile Defense Army (PVO-PRO). Its publicly stated role is the air-defense protection of Moscow and the broader Central Industrial Region. Open sources place the division headquarters in Moscow Oblast, Dolgoprudny. The division comprises multiple surface-to-air missile (SAM) regiments and a radio-technical regiment responsible for radar surveillance and provision of the recognized air picture to the division’s command-and-control nodes.
Headquarters Location
Division headquarters: Moscow Oblast, Dolgoprudny (military unit 52116). This matches the provided unit designation. Detailed facility layouts, exact street addresses, and internal configurations are not publicly disclosed; no classified details are provided here.
Component Units and Military Unit Numbers
Based on the provided data and consistent with widely cited open-source registries, the division includes: 93rd Guards Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (military unit 51916); 210th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (military unit 51890); 584th Guards Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (military unit 62845); 612nd Guards Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (military unit 92925); 25th Radio-Technical Regiment (military unit 86655, with lettered sub-elements 86655-E, 86655-M, 86655-V). In Russian administrative notation, such unit numbers (voinskaya chast) and lettered suffixes are used for primary units and subordinate elements for postal and organizational purposes.
93rd Guards Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (military unit 51916)
The dataset associates this regiment with S-300PM and S-400, indicating that it has been reported with legacy S-300PM equipment and, in later reporting, with S-400. Open sources document a multi-year transition of Moscow-area regiments from S-300PM-series to S-400 beginning in the late 2000s and continuing through the 2010s–2020s. As of publicly available information through 2024, there are conflicting public references regarding the regiment’s current system; both S-300PM and S-400 have been cited at different times. Specific current site locations for the regiment’s battalions are not officially published.
210th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (military unit 51890)
The provided entries list a command post, an additional second command post with a question mark (unconfirmed), and equipment references to both S-300PM and S-400. A regimental command post is standard; the existence of a distinct second command post is not confirmed in open sources and should be treated as unverified. As with other Moscow-region regiments, the 210th has been reported in different sources with S-300PM and, subsequently, S-400 as the wider modernization progressed. The precise, current inventory is not officially disclosed.
584th Guards Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (military unit 62845)
The dataset identifies a command post and associates this regiment with S-400. Open-source reporting commonly lists S-400 among Moscow-region regiments in the 1st Air and Missile Defense Army. No official, detailed equipment table or site coordinates for this regiment are publicly released; only the system association (S-400) is widely cited.
612nd Guards Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (military unit 92925)
The provided entries repeatedly associate this regiment with S-300PM and note a command post. Open sources have long listed S-300PM for certain Moscow-area regiments; the timing of re-equipment to S-400 varies by unit and is not uniformly documented in the public domain. For the 612nd, S-300PM appears in multiple public references; any subsequent transition has not been conclusively documented in official releases available publicly through 2024.
25th Radio-Technical Regiment (military unit 86655) and Sub-elements
The 25th Radio-Technical Regiment provides radar surveillance and airspace control in support of the division’s SAM regiments. The dataset lists subordinate elements with lettered suffixes (86655-E, 86655-M, 86655-V), which in Russian administrative usage denote separate subordinate companies or battalions for postal and organizational purposes. Radio-technical regiments operate a network of radar posts and relay the recognized air picture into the division’s automated command-and-control network. Specific radar models and exact post locations for this regiment are not officially disclosed; Russian radio-technical troops commonly employ meter-, decimeter-, and centimeter-band radars to provide altitude, range, and low-altitude coverage, but the exact equipment set per post is not confirmed publicly.
Surface-to-Air Missile Systems Referenced (S-300PM and S-400)
S-300PM: A long-range SAM system fielded in the VKS, employing the 48N6-series missiles. Publicly reported performance for the S-300PM family indicates engagement ranges commonly cited in the 150–200 km bracket (depending on missile variant), with engagement altitudes from low level (tens of meters) to roughly 25–30 km. It uses the 64N6 series long-range surveillance radar and 30N6 series engagement radar, under the 83M6-series command post at regimental level. S-400: The successor long-range SAM, reported with multiple missile options including 48N6DM (up to 250 km, publicly cited), 9M96-series (medium range), and 40N6 (claimed up to 380–400 km). Engagement altitudes are publicly reported from very low level to roughly 30+ km depending on missile. The system employs the 91N6 long-range surveillance radar, 92N6 engagement radar, and 96L6-series acquisition radar, with a 55K6-series command post at regimental level. Regiment composition varies; open sources describe two to three battalions (divizions) per regiment, with each battalion typically fielding up to 8–12 transporter-erector-launchers, each carrying four launch canisters. Exact compositions for the listed regiments are not officially published.
Command Posts and Automated Control
Each SAM regiment operates a command post that integrates local radar inputs and higher-echelon tasking. S-300PM regiments are associated in public documentation with 83M6-series regimental command posts; S-400 regiments are associated with the 55K6-series command post. Higher-level tasking in the VKS air defense structure uses automated command-and-control systems; open sources reference systems such as Baikal-1M and Polyana-D4M1 in Russian air defense practice, but specific allocations at regiment and division level are not officially confirmed for the units listed. The dataset’s mention of a second command post for the 210th regiment is unconfirmed and should be treated as an unverified reference.
Deployment Pattern and Site Infrastructure
Moscow-region air defense employs a ring of prepared firing positions that enable rapid emplacement of S-300PM/S-400 battalions. Many modern positions are located at or near former Soviet-era S-25 sites, which offered pre-existing infrastructure and favorable siting. Typical site features observed across Russian S-300/400 positions include prepared launch pads for multiple TELs, emplacement areas for engagement and acquisition radars (often with 40V6-series mast towers to elevate radars for low-altitude coverage), regimental or battalion command post shelters, and logistics areas for reload and maintenance. Exact layouts for the sites of the listed regiments are not officially published.
Integration within the 1st Air and Missile Defense Army
The 4th Air Defense Division forms part of the 1st Air and Missile Defense Army, which also includes the separate missile-defense component responsible for the Moscow ballistic missile defense system (A-135/A-235) under the 9th Missile Defense Division. While the missile-defense component is a separate formation, the overall architecture integrates air picture and tasking across air-breathing and ballistic threats. The SAM regiments of the 4th Division provide long-range and layered air defense against aircraft, cruise missiles, and certain types of aerodynamic targets, complementing the missile-defense systems that address ballistic threats.
Training and Readiness Activities (Publicly Reported)
Russian VKS air-defense units routinely conduct live-fire training at state ranges in Astrakhan Oblast (Ashuluk and associated sites) and participate in large-scale strategic exercises (e.g., those titled with the annual operational-strategic exercise cycle). Moscow-region SAM regiments have been reported participating in such events, deploying elements to ranges for combat firing and conduct-of-operations training. Specific annual schedules, unit-level evaluation results, and classified readiness metrics are not publicly disclosed.
Summary of Equipment Status from the Provided Data
93rd Guards Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (military unit 51916): referenced with S-300PM and S-400. 210th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (military unit 51890): referenced with S-300PM and S-400; command post listed; an additional second command post is unconfirmed. 584th Guards Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (military unit 62845): referenced with S-400; command post listed. 612nd Guards Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (military unit 92925): referenced with S-300PM; command post listed. 25th Radio-Technical Regiment (military unit 86655): listed with lettered subordinate elements (86655-E, -M, -V). These references align with longstanding public reporting that Moscow-region regiments historically operated S-300PM and have been re-equipping with S-400 over time; however, exact current allocations by regiment are not uniformly confirmed in official public sources.
Information Limitations and Source Notes
Russian MoD does not routinely publish complete, current orders of battle at regiment level or detailed equipment tables for specific regiments. Military unit numbers and unit names referenced here are widely cited in open-source registries, court documents, and media, but granular details such as exact site coordinates, current battalion counts per regiment, current missile stocks, and the presence of secondary or alternate command posts are not officially disclosed. The mention of a second command post for the 210th regiment is unverified. Equipment associations (S-300PM, S-400) reflect public reporting through 2024 and may represent different points in time during re-equipment.