4th State Central Interspecific Test Site (Kapustin Yar)
Designation and Role
The 4th State Central Interspecific Test Site (Kapustin Yar), military unit 15644, is a major Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation test range responsible for inter-service trials and combat training across missile, rocket-artillery, air and missile defense, aviation support, and associated research-and-development activities. It provides instrumented ranges, launch infrastructure, and telemetry support to Ground Forces, Aerospace Forces, and Strategic Missile Forces programs.
Historical Background
Established in 1946, the site conducted its first missile launch on 18 October 1947 (R-1, derived from the German V-2). Through the 1950s–1980s, it served as a principal national range for ballistic missile development (e.g., R-1, R-2, R-5, R-12, R-14) and as a space launch site for small orbital and suborbital missions. Since the post-Soviet period, it has continued as a core venue for testing tactical-operational missiles, rocket artillery, air-defense systems, and for validating reentry vehicle technologies using established launch corridors.
Geographic and Administrative Context
Kapustin Yar’s headquarters and garrison are in Znamensk, Astrakhan Oblast, a closed administrative-territorial formation (ZATO) that supports the test site. The range area extends across parts of Astrakhan and Volgograd oblasts and includes multiple instrumented sectors for launch, mid-course tracking, terminal observation, and recovery. Access is restricted; movements and photography are regulated by federal law governing ZATO and defense installations.
Primary Missions and Activities
The site conducts inter-service testing and combat training for: (1) ballistic, cruise, and tactical missile systems; (2) Ground Forces rocket and artillery systems; (3) ground-based air-defense and missile-defense components; (4) range-support aviation; and (5) associated communications and measurement systems. It is also used for acceptance trials, system reliability checks, and live-fire qualification events announced by the Ministry of Defence.
Subordinate and Co-located Units (Overview)
Open-source reporting attributes the following to Kapustin Yar/Znamensk: 4th State Central Interspecific Test Site (military unit 15644); 28th Separate Engineering and Testing Unit (military unit 31925); 30th Separate Engineering and Testing Unit (military unit 52910); 35th Separate Mixed Aviation Squadron (military unit 33782); 60th Missile Troops and Artillery Combat Use Training Center (military unit 47209); 144th Transmitting Center (military unit 39216); 161st Strategic Missile Forces Technicians School (military unit 75376); 708th Interspecific Air Defense Equipment Research and Testing Center (military unit 29139); 788th Ground Forces Military Equipment Research and Development Center (military unit 21065); UUB (military unit 21043); and a radio-technical site employing the P-37 radar. Where current structures or exact functions are not publicly confirmed, descriptions below reflect widely available, non-classified information.
28th Separate Engineering and Testing Unit (military unit 31925)
This unit is reported to provide engineering, launch-site preparation, instrumentation emplacement, and EOD/safety support to trials at Kapustin Yar. Typical tasks for such units include site construction and maintenance, target array setup, telemetry mast deployment, and post-firing clearance and forensics. Detailed composition, current equipment holdings, and exact locations are not publicly disclosed.
30th Separate Engineering and Testing Unit (military unit 52910)
Open sources identify this unit as a range engineering and test-support element responsible for technical preparation of trials, operation of auxiliary ground systems, and support to munitions handling and instrumentation. Specific manning levels, subordinate subunits, and current mission sets beyond general test support are not officially published.
35th Separate Mixed Aviation Squadron (military unit 33782)
This squadron provides airlift, range patrol, and search-and-rescue/medical evacuation support using Mi-8 helicopters and An-26 and An-72 fixed-wing aircraft. Typical duties include personnel and cargo transport, airborne range surveillance, calibration/photographic flights, and emergency response during live-fire events. Aircraft types listed are consistent with observed range-support aviation assets; detailed sortie rates and basing specifics are not publicly released.
60th Missile Troops and Artillery Combat Use Training Center (military unit 47209)
This center conducts combat training and live-fire events for the Missile Troops and Artillery (RViA) of the Ground Forces, including tactical missile, multiple-launch rocket system, tube artillery, and associated reconnaissance and fire control assets. Activities at Kapustin Yar’s instrumented sectors provide ballistic measurement, telemetry, and target effects recording for training and certification. Official, current tables of organization, named subranges used, and training calendars are not publicly available.
144th Transmitting Center (military unit 39216)
The Transmitting Center provides communications, telemetry relay, timing/distribution, and command-and-control links supporting trials and range safety. Functions typically include HF/VHF/UHF and microwave relay, time standard dissemination, and data links for range instrumentation. Equipment lists, antenna farm locations, and frequency plans are not disclosed in public sources.
161st Strategic Missile Forces Technicians School (military unit 75376)
Historically associated with the Kapustin Yar garrison, this RVSN technical school trained missile systems technicians. Open sources indicate it underwent organizational changes during broader Russian military education reforms. Its current status, structure, and training specializations are not confirmed in official public releases; therefore, no contemporary details are provided.
708th Interspecific Air Defense Equipment Research and Testing Center (military unit 29139)
This center is reported to conduct research, testing, and evaluation of ground-based air-defense systems (e.g., SAM systems and associated radars) and to support live-fire qualification and methodical trials at the region’s ranges. Activities publicized by the Ministry of Defence have included air-defense live-fires in Astrakhan Oblast. Current test programs, range-day schedules, and detailed equipment inventories are not publicly released.
788th Ground Forces Military Equipment Research and Development Center (military unit 21065)
Open-source references describe this center as supporting trials and R&D for Ground Forces equipment, including fire support, mobility, protection, and command-and-control systems, leveraging the instrumented sectors of Kapustin Yar. Specific ongoing projects, laboratories, and test articles are not publicly documented.
UUB (military unit 21043)
The abbreviation “UUB” is not conclusively expanded in publicly available official sources. Open references associate military unit 21043 with the Kapustin Yar complex, potentially in a support or base-management role. Without authoritative publication, further details on mandate, structure, or facilities cannot be provided.
Radio-Technical Site – P-37 Radar
The P-37 (1RL139), NATO reporting name “Bar Lock,” is a 2D early-warning radar operating in the E/F-band, widely fielded in the late Soviet period. Typical characteristics cited in open literature include instrumented ranges up to approximately 350 km against high-altitude targets, azimuth coverage of 360°, and integration with height-finder radars for altitude data. References to a radio-technical site with a P-37 at Kapustin Yar indicate use for range airspace surveillance and tracking; exact site locations, integration with range telemetry, and operational status are not publicly disclosed.
Range Infrastructure and Measurement Capabilities
Kapustin Yar employs launch pads/stands, impact areas, safe corridors, optics and radar tracking, telemetry stations, meteorological support, and range safety instrumentation. Functions include trajectory tracking, destructive-action recording, debris recovery, and electromagnetic environment monitoring. Detailed layouts, specific sensor models, coverage diagrams, and control-room configurations are not available in open sources.
Launch Corridors and External Target Ranges
The test site is routinely used for launches whose trajectories terminate at designated impact and measurement areas, including the established corridor toward the Sary Shagan test range in Kazakhstan for anti-missile and reentry-vehicle trials. Such activities are periodically acknowledged in Russian Ministry of Defence communications. Precise trajectory data, target-point coordinates, and impact-area instrumentation are not publicly released.
Aviation and Logistics Support
Range operations are supported by a garrisoned logistics network in Znamensk, ground transport links, and an airfield used by the 35th Separate Mixed Aviation Squadron for personnel/cargo movement, medical evacuation, and calibration/observation flights. Fuel storage, munitions depots, and maintenance facilities exist within secured perimeters. Exact capacities, stock numbers, and layouts are not disclosed.
Security and Access
Znamensk’s ZATO status and federal legislation restrict access; entry requires authorization. Range operations impose airspace and ground safety closures during live-fire events. Details regarding guard forces, sensor fences, response times, and patrol patterns are not publicly available and are not provided.
Publicly Acknowledged Activities
The Ministry of Defence has periodically reported test launches from Kapustin Yar to validate missile components and combat equipment, and has publicized large-scale air-defense and rocket-artillery live-fires in Astrakhan Oblast. These announcements typically omit technical parameters and timelines beyond general objectives and successful completion statements.
Open-Source Confidence and Gaps
Unit designations and roles listed here are drawn from publicly available sources and official announcements. For several entities (e.g., UUB, current status of the 161st SMF Technicians School, detailed structures of the 28th/30th units, and the 144th Transmitting Center), authoritative, current specifics are not published; therefore, only general, non-sensitive descriptions are provided. Classified information, exact coordinates, detailed equipment inventories, and security procedures are not available and are not included.