820th Missile Attack Warning Main Center
System Overview and Command Node
The 820th Missile Attack Warning Main Center (military unit 26302) is the central command-and-control node of the Russian Missile Attack Warning System (SPRN). Its headquarters are in Moscow Oblast (Solnechnogorsk-7). The center receives, fuses, and assesses data from ground-based early warning radars and the space-based Unified Space System (EKS, "Kupol"), generating missile-attack warnings for the national command authority and providing cueing to missile-defense assets. The organization belongs to the Aerospace Forces (VKS), Space Forces branch.
Organizational Elements Identified
The units enumerated comprise ground radar operators, command posts, communications support, and space-surveillance/space-based warning elements. Radar-operating Separate Radio-Technical Units (SRTU) include: 571st SRTU (m/u 73845; Voronezh-M), 818th SRTU (m/u 41003; Voronezh-DM), 36th SRTU (m/u 03908; Voronezh-VP), 57th SRTU RO-1 (m/u 16605; Dnepr-M), 378th SRTU RO-30 (m/u 96876; Daryal), 474th SRTU (m/u 03522; Volga), and m/u 63974 RO-4 (Dnepr). Additional radar SRTUs specified without numeric designators—m/u 84685, 84686 (Voronezh-DM) and m/u 84197, 84194 (Voronezh-M), plus m/u 42988 (Voronezh-DM)—are part of the same network. Command-and-support elements include the 514th Missile Warning System Command Post (m/u 12556), the 1383rd Reserve Command Post (m/u 17204), and the 487th Communications and Information Transfer Center (m/u 13626). Space-related nodes listed are the 916th SRTU (m/u 03340; Western command post of the Unified Space System), the 1127th Separate Radio-Technical Center (m/u 20117; Eastern command post of the Unified Space System), and the separate outer-space reconnaissance radio-optical unit "Krona" (m/u 20096).
Ground-Based Radar Types and Capabilities
Russia’s current-generation early warning radars are the 77Ya6 "Voronezh" family: Voronezh-M (meter-band/VHF), Voronezh-DM (decimeter-band/UHF), Voronezh-VP (a higher-power VHF derivative), and Voronezh-SM (centimeter-band). These are modular, high-factory-readiness stations designed for rapid deployment and reduced lifecycle costs compared with legacy systems. Typical functions are long-range detection and tracking of ballistic missile launches and space objects at ranges of several thousand kilometers, with sectoral coverage configured by the number and orientation of antenna panels. Legacy stations still present in the network include 5N86/5N86M "Dnepr" (VHF), 90N6 "Daryal" (VHF), and 70M6 "Volga" (UHF). The Daryal at Pechora (RO-30) and the Volga at Gantsevichi remain publicly reported as operational; selected Dnepr installations continue in service as backups while new Voronezh radars assume primary coverage.
Known Site Associations and Publicly Reported Locations
Open sources provide the following widely cited correlations. 571st SRTU (m/u 73845) operates a Voronezh-M near Lekhtusi, Leningrad Oblast (placed on combat duty by 2009). 818th SRTU (m/u 41003) operates a Voronezh-DM in Kaliningrad Oblast (near Pionersky), reported operational by 2014. 474th SRTU (m/u 03522) operates the 70M6 "Volga" radar at Gantsevichi, Belarus, under a Russia–Belarus basing arrangement dating from the mid-2000s. 378th SRTU (m/u 96876; RO-30) operates the 90N6 "Daryal" radar near Pechora, Komi Republic. 57th SRTU (m/u 16605; RO-1) is associated with the 5N86M "Dnepr-M" radar near Olenegorsk, Murmansk Oblast. The RO-4 designation (m/u 63974) is historically linked to Mishelevka/Irkutsk Dnepr operations, which open reporting indicates were replaced by new Voronezh radars in Siberia during the 2010s. Other Voronezh sites publicly described by Russian authorities include Armavir (Krasnodar Krai; two Voronezh-DM sectors), Barnaul/Altai Krai (Voronezh-DM), Yeniseysk/Krasnoyarsk Krai (Voronezh-DM), Orsk/Orenburg Oblast (Voronezh-M/VP), and Mishelevka/Irkutsk Oblast (Voronezh-M/VP); however, authoritative open sources do not conclusively map these locations to the specific military unit numbers 84685, 84686, 84197, 84194, or 42988 listed here.
Command Posts and Data Processing Nodes
The 514th Missile Warning System Command Post (m/u 12556) and the 1383rd Reserve Command Post (m/u 17204) are elements of the SPRN’s command-and-control structure that receive radar and space-based warning data, support decision-making timelines, and provide redundancy. The 487th Communications and Information Transfer Center (m/u 13626) ensures secure, survivable transmission of sensor data and command directives between remote radar sites, space warning nodes, and the 820th Main Center. Detailed locations, internal layouts, and communications architectures for these facilities are not publicly released.
Space-Based Early Warning Ground Segment
The 916th Separate Radio-Technical Unit (m/u 03340) and the 1127th Separate Radio-Technical Center (m/u 20117) function as the Western and Eastern ground command posts, respectively, for the Unified Space System (EKS, "Kupol"), which employs 14F142 "Tundra" satellites in highly elliptical and geostationary orbits to detect ballistic missile launches by infrared means. These command posts manage satellite operations and relay space-based warning cues to the 820th Main Center, where space- and ground-derived data are fused. Public sources do not disclose precise site locations for these command posts.
Space Surveillance Asset "Krona"
The Separate Outer Space Reconnaissance Radio-Optical Unit "Krona" (m/u 20096) belongs to Russia’s space surveillance network (SKKP). The complex integrates a high-resolution centimeter-band radar with optical telescopes to detect, track, and characterize satellites in low and medium Earth orbits by measuring radar cross-section and optical signatures. It provides object identification data complementary to early warning radars and supports the cataloging of space objects. Multiple "Krona" complexes exist in Russia; open sources associate m/u 20096 with one of these sites. Detailed technical parameters and exact siting are not publicly released.
Coverage Architecture and Redundancy
The ground radar network is arranged in geographically distributed sectors that provide overlapping coverage from the North Atlantic and Arctic approaches (Olenegorsk Dnepr, Pechora Daryal, Leningrad Oblast Voronezh-M), western and southwestern vectors (Kaliningrad Voronezh-DM, Belarus Volga, Armavir Voronezh-DM), southern and central Asian vectors (Armavir and Barnaul Voronezh-DM), and eastern/northeastern vectors (Yeniseysk Voronezh-DM, Irkutsk Voronezh-M/VP). This sectoral design yields redundancy against single-site outages and enables cross-cueing between frequency bands (VHF and UHF), improving detection of both long-range ballistic missiles and space objects. Space-based EKS data provide global launch detection and extend coverage over oceanic areas beyond the radar horizon.
Modernization and Decommissioning (2000s–2024)
Since the mid-2000s Russia has replaced or supplemented legacy Dnepr and Daryal stations with modular Voronezh radars to restore and expand coverage lost when foreign-based sites became unavailable. Use of the Ukrainian Dnepr radars at Sevastopol and Mukachevo ended by the early 2010s, and the Daryal radar at Gabala (Azerbaijan) ceased operations in 2012 when the lease was not renewed. New Voronezh radars entered service in stages: Lekhtusi (Voronezh-M) by 2009; Armavir (Voronezh-DM) in 2009–2013; Kaliningrad (Voronezh-DM) by 2014; Irkutsk/Mishelevka (Voronezh-M) in 2012–2014; Barnaul (Voronezh-DM) by 2016; and Yeniseysk (Voronezh-DM) in the 2017–2018 timeframe. Orsk (Voronezh-M/VP) was reported entering duty in the late 2010s. In the 2020s, the Ministry of Defense announced the introduction of the centimeter-band "Voronezh-SM," augmenting the mix of frequency bands. Exact commissioning dates and sector orientations for some sites are not publicly specified.
Identified Inconsistencies and Gaps in the Provided List
Two items in the list diverge from widely available open-source reporting. First, the 57th Separate Radio-Technical Unit (RO-1; m/u 16605) is publicly associated with the 5N86M "Dnepr-M" at Olenegorsk; attribution of a 90N6 "Daryal-U" to RO-1 is not supported by authoritative sources. The Daryal that remains in Russian service is associated with RO-30 (Pechora; 378th SRTU, m/u 96876). Second, the RO-4 Dnepr unit (m/u 63974) is historically linked to Mishelevka/Irkutsk; open reporting indicates Dnepr operations there were discontinued following deployment of Voronezh radars, so current activity of m/u 63974 is uncertain. In addition, specific geographic pairings for m/u 84685, 84686, 84197, 84194, and 42988 are not conclusively documented in the public domain.
Security and Classification Considerations
Many operational details of SPRN facilities—including precise coordinates, internal configurations, communications protocols, operating schedules, and real-time readiness states—are not publicly released and are subject to classification. This analysis confines itself to information reported in open sources and official announcements. Where details are not publicly available, they are identified as such and are not provided.