The Missile Troops and Artillery (MT & A), ( – РВиА) are a Combat Arm of the

Russian Ground Forces The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска �ВSukhoputnyye voyska V}), also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Force ...

, They are the primary means of providing fire on the enemy during

combined-arms operations Combined arms is an approach to warfare that seeks to integrate different combat arms of a military to achieve mutually complementary effects (for example by using infantry and armour in an urban environment in which each supports the oth ...

. They are designed to perform the following main tasks: * achieving and keeping fire superiority over the enemy; * defeat of its means of

nuclear attack Nuclear warfare, also known as atomic warfare, is a theoretical military conflict or prepared political strategy that deploys nuclear weaponry. Nuclear weapons are weapons of mass destruction; in contrast to conventional warfare, nuclear ...

, manpower, weapons, military and special equipment; * disruption of troops and weapons’

control systems A control system manages, commands, directs, or regulates the behavior of other devices or systems using control loops. It can range from a single home heating controller using a thermostat controlling a domestic boiler to large industrial c ...

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops ( skirmishe ...

and

electronic warfare Electronic warfare (EW) is any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum (EM spectrum) or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponent ...

; * destruction of long-term defence installations and other infrastructure; * disruption of operational and

military logistics Military logistics is the discipline of planning and carrying out the movement, supply, and maintenance of military forces. In its most comprehensive sense, it is those aspects or military operations that deal with: * Design, development, acqui ...

; * weakening and isolation of the second echelons and reserves of the enemy; * destruction of tanks and other

armoured vehicles Military vehicles are commonly armoured (or armored; see spelling differences) to withstand the impact of shrapnel, bullets, shells, rockets, and missiles, protecting the personnel inside from enemy fire. Such vehicles include armoured fight ...

of the enemy breaking into the depth of defence; * cover of open flanks and junctions; * participation in destruction of aircraft and amphibious assault forces of the enemy; * remote mining of areas and facilities; * light support of night actions of troops; * smoke-screening, blinding of enemy targets; * distribution of

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...

materials, etc. Organisationally the MT & A consist of missile, rocket, artillery brigades, including high-power mixed, artillery battalions,

rocket artillery Rocket artillery is artillery that uses rocket explosives as the projectile. The use of rocket artillery dates back to medieval China where devices such as fire arrows were used (albeit mostly as a psychological weapon). Fire arrows were also ...

regiments, separate reconnaissance battalions, as well as artillery of combined-arms brigades and military bases. Further development and increase of combat capabilities of the MT & A of the GF are put into life by means of creating reconnaissance-fire units, including on interim basis, ensuring defeat of targets in real time, equipment of formations and units of the MT & A with high-precision weapons, increasing of firing range and power of the ammunition used, and automation of processes for preparation and firing. Amongst the oldest combat branches of the Ground Forces with a history dating to 1392, its service anniversary is marked on Missile Troops and Artillery Day, November 27, honoring the gunners and MRL operators who in 1942 fired the first shots of the artillery counterattacks during the long

Battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II where Nazi Germany and its allies unsuccessfully fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (later r ...

against the German Sixth Army.

Current organization

Formerly organized into separate divisions today the MT&A are organized into one division, the 18th Machine Gun Artillery Division in the

Eastern Military District The Eastern Military District ( Russian: Восточный военный округ) is a military district of Russia. It is one of the five military districts of the Russian Armed Forces, with its jurisdiction within the Far Eastern Fede ...

, a number of divisional artillery (self-propelled gun and towed gun) regiments of motor rifle and tank divisions and independent brigades and regiments of field artillery (including MRL and tactical missile brigades). There are also a number of artillery battalions under regiments and brigades.

Divisional artillery regiments

* 99th Pomerania Guards Self-Propelled Regiment under the 3rd MRD, Boguchar * 275th Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment under the 4th GTD, Naro-Fominsk * 147th Guards Self-Propelled Artillery Simferopol Regiment under the 2nd GMRD, Kalininets * 856th Guards Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment under the 144th GMRD, Yelnya * 381st Guards Warsaw Artillery Regiment under the 150th MRD, Novocherkassk * 400th Transylvania Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment under the 90th GTD, Chebarkul * 50th Guards Artillery Regiment (Training) under the 42nd GMRD, Khankala * 872nd Artillery Regiment (Training) under the 127th MRD, Sergeyevka * 46th Machinegun Artillery Regiment under the 18th MGAD, Lagunnoe * 49th Machinegun Artillery Regiment under the 18th MGAD, Goryachie Klyuchi

Independent brigades

* 28th Air Defense Rocket Brigade (Central Military District) * 38th Air Defense Rocket Brigade (Eastern Military District) * 45th Svir High-Power Artillery Brigade (Western Military District) * 77th Air Defense Rocket Brigade (Southern Military District) * 79th Guards Reactive Artillery Brigade (Western Military District) * 120th Guards Artillery Brigade * 202nd Air Defense Rocket Brigade (Western Military District) * 232th Guards Reactive Artillery Brigade (Central Military District) * 338th Guards Reactive Artillery Brigade (Eastern Military District) * 385th Guards Artillery Brigade (Central Military District) * 439th Guards Reactive Artillery Brigade (Southern Military District)

Commanders

*Colonel-General Nikolai Dimidyuk (1991-1997) *Colonel-General (1997-2001) *Colonel-General Vladimir Zarutsky (2001-2008) *Lieutenant-General

Sergei Bogatinov Sergius is a male given name of Ancient Roman origin after the name of the Latin ''gens'' Sergia or Sergii of regal and republican ages. It is a common Christian name, in honor of Saint Sergius, or in Russia, of Saint Sergius of Radonezh, and h ...

(2009-2010) *Lieutenant-General Mikhail Matveyevsky (2010-present)

References

External links

{{Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Russian Ground Forces Military of Russia