The Radio-Technical Troops (Russian: radiotekhnicheskiye voyska, RTV) build the radar field (radiolokatsionnoye pole): radar coverage of Russian airspace that is as continuous as possible. They detect, track and identify air targets and provide the air picture on which all other branches run. Without the RTV there is no early warning and no target assignment.
Command
The RTV units process their radar data with the Fundament-M system and forward the merged picture to the command posts of the air-defence division and the SAM brigades. They sit under the air-defence division of the relevant AFADA and at the same time provide data to the fighter combat control (GCI) and the strategic early warning.
Unit structure
| Echelon | Russian | Composition |
|---|---|---|
| Radio-technical brigade / regiment | RTBr / RTP | Several battalions; covers a district/sector area |
| Radio-technical battalion | rtb | Several radar companies; sub-sector |
| Radar company | rlr | Mans one or more radar posts |
| Radar post | rlp | Basic unit: radar(s) + crew, 24/7 combat duty |
Radar types within the RTV
The RTV mixes radars with different bands and tasks, so that altitude, range and anti-stealth shortfalls of one type are made up by another.
| Radar (NATO name) | Band | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Nebo-M (RLM-M, complex) | VHF + L + S/X (fused) | Multi-band anti-stealth system; bundles three radars + data fusion |
| Nebo-SVU / Nebo-U (Tall Rack) | VHF (metre band) | Early warning, indication of low-observable targets |
| Protivnik-G (Gravestone) | L-band | 3D area surveillance, 10–400 km, up to 200 km altitude |
| Gamma-S1 / -DE | S/X-band | 3D target finding, fire-control preparation |
| Podlet-K1 (Casta successor) | S-band | Low-altitude detection, feeds S-300/S-400 |
| Kasta-2E2 (Flat Face successor) | UHF | Low-level gap filler, mobile, low signature |
| 96L6 (Cheese Board) | C-band | All-altitude acquisition, organic to S-300/400 |
Strategic early-warning radars (SPRN) — known locations
Above the tactical RTV sits the SPRN (missile-attack warning system): large fixed Voronezh radars that detect ballistic launches at thousands of km. They fall under the space/missile defence component, but feed the same air and space picture. Their locations are publicly known:
| Location | Type | Coverage direction |
|---|---|---|
| Lekhtusi (near St Petersburg) | Voronezh-M (VHF) | North-west / NATO-north |
| Pionersky (Kaliningrad) | Voronezh-DM | West / Atlantic sector |
| Armavir (Krasnodar) | Voronezh-DM | South / Middle East |
| Orsk (Orenburg) | Voronezh-M | South-Central Asia |
| Usolye-Sibirskoye (Irkutsk) | Voronezh-M | East / Pacific |
| Yeniseysk (Krasnoyarsk) | Voronezh-DM | North-east / Arctic-east |
| Barnaul (Altai) | Voronezh-DM | South-east / China |
| Olenegorsk (Murmansk) | Dnepr / Voronezh | North / Arctic |
| Pechora (Komi) | Daryal | North / polar route |
| Vorkuta | Voronezh-M | North / Arctic |
The tactical radar posts of the RTV itself are spread along the borders and around high-value assets, often co-located with the SAM sites and air bases from the map. The SPRN radars can also be filtered as a separate layer on the map.
Radar posts and their radars are high-value, vulnerable targets. Knocking out low-band early-warning radars opens gaps in the radar field through which low-flying drones and cruise missiles enter — a recurring pattern in the war.