178th Guards Missile Regiment

178-й гвардейский ракетный полк

Military Unit: 23467

Activated 1959 in (?) as the 178th Guards Engineer Regiment, under the VVS (Air Force).

1.7.60 renamed 178th Guards Missile Regiment, now in Ordzhonikidze, North Ossetia, under the 46th Missile Brigade, and from 4.61 the 35th Missile Division.

The regiment consisted of two battalions with each 4 R-12 (SS-4) pads and one battalion with 4 R-12 silos.

The first two battalions went on alert duty in 1962 (eight R-12 pads), followed by the third battalion in 1963 (four R-12 silos).

The battalions stood down 1.2.80, and the regiment was disbanded (1980).

US designation: Groznyy MRBM complex (Sunzhenskoye, Nesterovksaya and Achkhoy-Martan launch sites). Type I (pad) and IV (silo) sites.

Sunzhenskoye launch site (43 08 22N, 44 54 50E):

Nesterovksaya launch site (43 11 36N, 44 57 45E):

Achkhoy-Martan launch site (43 09 43N, 45 11 15E):