Air Defense and Missile Defense Forces
Command Overview: Air Defense and Missile Defense Forces
The Air and Missile Defense Forces are a component of the Russian Aerospace Forces with headquarters in Moscow. They are tasked with airspace control, air defense of key regions and assets, and missile defense of the Moscow region. According to the provided information, the commander is Lieutenant General Andrey Demin. These forces integrate radio-technical troops that operate ground-based radars, surface-to-air missile units equipped with systems such as S-300, S-350, and S-400, and elements of the missile defense system supporting protection against ballistic threats.
11th Anti-Aircraft Missile Training Center (military unit 03215)
The 11th Anti-Aircraft Missile Training Center conducts initial and recurring training for anti-aircraft missile troops of the Air and Missile Defense Forces. Its curriculum typically covers equipment such as S-300P series, S-350 Vityaz, S-400, and short-to-medium range systems like Pantsir. Training includes classroom instruction, simulator-based crew drills, maintenance procedures, and tactical deployment exercises. Live-fire training for these forces is routinely conducted at established ranges such as Ashuluk in Astrakhan Oblast under the 185th Combat Training Center, with unit participation coordinated through the training center. Specific facility locations and detailed syllabi are not publicly disclosed.
25th Air and Missile Defense Forces Arsenal (military unit 11291)
The 25th Arsenal functions as a logistics and storage installation supporting the Air and Missile Defense Forces. Its responsibilities typically include storage, periodic inspection, and life-cycle support of missiles and components for S-300, S-350, and S-400 systems, as well as spare parts, test equipment, and radars' replaceable units. Arsenals conduct acceptance checks, environmental storage, and issue items to operational units, ensuring munitions and critical components remain within service life parameters. Precise stock holdings, layouts, and addresses are not publicly available.
25th Separate Radio-Technical Battalion (military unit 71584)
The 25th Separate Radio-Technical Battalion operates ground-based air surveillance assets and, per the provided data, fields 36D6, 55Zh6, and 55Zh6U Nebo-U radars. The 36D6 is a mobile 3D air search radar with a typical instrumented range on the order of 300 to 360 km depending on variant. The 55Zh6 Nebo series operates in the VHF band to improve detection of low observable targets, with the Nebo-U 3D upgrade providing significantly enhanced range reporting, publicly cited up to several hundred kilometers and, for high-altitude targets, up to approximately 600 km. The battalion feeds recognized air picture data into automated command systems supporting both fighter aviation and surface-to-air missile brigades.
917th Separate Radio-Technical Battalion (military unit 48734)
The 917th Separate Radio-Technical Battalion is part of the radio-technical troops responsible for round-the-clock radar surveillance, identification friend or foe processing, and transmission of the air situation to higher echelons and cooperating air defense units. While specific radar models for this battalion are not cited in the provided data, units of this type typically deploy a mix of long-range early warning and medium-range 3D radars, maintain redundant power and communications, and conduct periodic relocations for field training and resilience. Exact garrison location and equipment set are not publicly disclosed.
1451st Separate Radio-Technical Battalion (military unit 39836)
The 1451st Separate Radio-Technical Battalion performs airspace monitoring within its assigned sector, operating fixed and mobile radar posts and relays. Standard missions include detection, tracking, and reporting of air objects, low-altitude coverage enhancement, and provision of target designation data to air defense command posts. Specific radar inventories and site coordinates for this unit are not publicly available in authoritative open sources.
2260th Separate Radio-Technical Battalion (military unit 61943)
The 2260th Separate Radio-Technical Battalion contributes to the layered radar network that supports the Air and Missile Defense Forces. Battalions of this type typically operate within a regiment or regional command structure and are integrated with automated control systems to share a real-time recognized air picture. Detailed information on the battalion’s radar types, deployment nodes, and infrastructure has not been publicly released.
2268th Separate Radio-Technical Battalion (military unit 52357)
The 2268th Separate Radio-Technical Battalion provides continuous radar surveillance and reporting from designated fixed sites and mobile positions. Tasks include air target detection across assigned azimuth sectors, altitude determination, and communication of track data to regional air defense command posts. No verifiable open-source data specifies the battalion’s exact locations or the full radar suite it operates.
2295th Separate Radio-Technical Battalion Headquarters (military unit 68109)
The headquarters element of the 2295th Separate Radio-Technical Battalion oversees the battalion’s radar companies and posts, manages personnel, logistics, maintenance, and the battalion-level command post that fuses radar inputs prior to forwarding to higher echelons. The headquarters coordinates deployment, readiness, and training activities of subordinate radar subunits. Precise address and internal command post configuration are not publicly disclosed.
2295th Separate Radio-Technical Battalion Radar Subunits (military unit 68109)
The radar subunits of the 2295th Separate Radio-Technical Battalion operate the battalion’s sensor assets at designated fixed sites and mobile positions. They provide search, detection, and tracking, maintain redundancy through multiple radar types where available, and ensure data links to the battalion command post and onward to the Air and Missile Defense Forces’ automated control systems. Specific radar models, numbers, and site coordinates are not published in authoritative open sources.
Separate Radio-Technical Battalion, designation not available (military unit 06548)
Military unit 06548 is identified as a separate radio-technical battalion, but further details regarding its formal designation, garrison, and equipment are not publicly available. In line with the role of radio-technical troops, the unit’s likely core tasks are continuous airspace surveillance, track production, and dissemination of air situation data to adjacent units and higher command posts. Without authoritative disclosures, additional specifics cannot be provided.
590th Separate Radio-Technical Unit for Over-the-Horizon Detection (military unit 84680, 29B6 Konteyner)
The 590th unit operates the 29B6 Konteyner over-the-horizon radar, an HF skywave system designed for long-range detection of air targets beyond the line of sight. The first operational Konteyner node entered combat duty in late 2019 with its receiver site in the Republic of Mordovia near Kovylkino and the transmitter site in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast near Gorodets. Public sources attribute a nominal detection range on the order of 2,000 to 3,000 km and a wide azimuthal sector oriented toward western air approaches. The system provides bearing and range on targets but does not furnish precise altitude, and its performance depends on ionospheric conditions. It contributes early warning data to the national air picture.
Radar Systems Cited: Technical Summary
36D6 is a mobile three-dimensional air search radar with typical instrumented range around 300 to 360 km depending on variant, providing target range, azimuth, and altitude for medium- to high-altitude coverage. The 55Zh6 Nebo series operates in the VHF band to enhance detection of low radar cross-section targets, with baseline versions offering long-range two- or three-dimensional surveillance and the 55Zh6U Nebo-U representing a 3D upgrade with publicly cited extended ranges up to approximately 600 km for high-altitude targets. The 29B6 Konteyner is an HF over-the-horizon radar designed for very long-range detection, generally quoted in the 2,000 to 3,000 km class, providing early warning on mass air activity and large-scale movements.
Command and Control Integration
Radio-technical battalions feed their track data to battalion and regimental command posts and onward to regional air and air defense army command centers using automated control systems. In the Air and Missile Defense Forces, this enables cueing of fighter aviation and target designation for S-300, S-350, and S-400 surface-to-air missile units. Over-the-horizon inputs from 29B6 Konteyner contribute to early warning and situational awareness for long-range planning and response. Specific software, network topologies, and command post locations are not disclosed in public sources.
Infrastructure and Sustainment
Operational radar sites typically include prepared pads for antenna systems, power generation and conditioning units, climate-controlled shelters for processing equipment, secured perimeters, and hardened or dispersed communications nodes with fiber and radio relay links. Mobile radar assets are exercised to deploy to field positions to maintain readiness and resilience. Arsenals provide munitions storage compliant with safety and environmental standards and maintain test benches for missile and radar-line replaceable units. Detailed site layouts and stock holdings remain undisclosed.
Operational Employment and Coverage
The listed radio-technical battalions contribute to layered airspace surveillance, combining VHF long-range detection with medium- and low-altitude coverage to mitigate line-of-sight and terrain masking limitations. Data is fused at multiple echelons to produce a recognized air picture for decision-making and engagement by air and missile defense assets. The 29B6 Konteyner adds deep-coverage early warning across Europe-facing air approaches. Specific sector responsibilities and alert postures for the named battalions are not published.
Known Locations and Publicly Disclosed Details
For the headquarters of the Air and Missile Defense Forces, Moscow is publicly stated. For the 590th unit, open sources identify the Konteyner receiver near Kovylkino in the Republic of Mordovia and the transmitter near Gorodets in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, with operational status announced in late 2019. For the other listed units, authoritative open sources do not provide confirmed street-level locations or full site coordinates. When locations are not publicly available or are classified, they are not included here.
Limitations and Vulnerabilities
Line-of-sight radars are constrained by the radar horizon and terrain, necessitating networks of overlapping sites and low-altitude specialized radars to close gaps. VHF-band radars improve detection against some low observable designs but may offer lower track accuracy, requiring data fusion with higher-frequency 3D radars for engagement-quality tracks. Over-the-horizon HF radar performance varies with ionospheric conditions, time of day, and solar activity, and it does not provide altitude, so it is best used for early warning rather than fire control.
Modernization Notes
The Air and Missile Defense Forces have been publicly reported to field newer radar systems such as Nebo-M and Podlet-K1 in various formations to improve coverage and survivability. Surface-to-air missile units have been receiving S-350 systems alongside S-400 to increase engagement capacity against diverse threats. This report does not attribute specific modernization items to the listed battalions unless explicitly provided; where not stated, unit-level equipment sets remain unspecified in public sources.
Data Availability and Classification Caveats
Unit numbers and functional roles listed here are drawn from the provided information and publicly available reporting. Detailed addresses, internal layouts, exact radar counts, connectivity schemes, munition stock levels, and alert procedures are typically classified and are not disclosed in authoritative open sources. Where such details are not publicly available, they are omitted.