Radio-Technical Troops Day in Ukraine Date in the current year: November 30, 2024

The radio-technical troops provide radio-technical reconnaissance of air, land and sea space, locate and identify airborne targets, notify air defense forces or other relevant branches of the Armed Forces about them, and assist in targeting. These troops are the main source of information about the situation in the airspace over the country and near its borders.

The professionalism of the radio-technical troops determines how quickly airborne targets are detected and identified and how quickly this information is transmitted to anti-aircraft missile systems so that they can eliminate the targets and prevent them from hitting military objects, critical infrastructure, or residential buildings.

The work of radio-technical troops is not often talked about, and in peacetime their activities are almost invisible to the general public. In wartime, however, it is the radio-technical troops that help to warn air defense forces of threats as early as possible, thus saving many lives.

The Radio-Technical Troops of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) were formed in 1992, shortly after the country’s declaration of independence in 1991 and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Until 2014, they consisted of five brigades. However, after the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, Ukraine lost the 40th radio-technical brigade stationed in the peninsula.

When the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022, Ukraine’s radio-technical troops were among the first to be attacked, the enemy trying to “blind” the country’s air defenses. However, the personnel managed to evacuate the equipment and themselves, thus preserving the AFU’s ability to conduct radio-technical reconnaissance of Ukrainian airspace.

After the Russian of Ukraine, the modernization of the radio-technical units of the AFU intensified, and now they are equipped with radar equipment produced of Ukrainian and Western manufacturers. The personnel is constantly improving its qualifications in order to work even more effectively against the enemy’s electronic warfare means without being detected.

As of November 30, 2023, the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia is still ongoing. Since its beginning, the radio-technical troops have helped the air defense forces and other structural units of the Air Force of Ukraine to detect and destroy 323 airplanes, 324 helicopters, 5,954 UAVs, and 1,567 cruise missiles.

Radio-Technical Troops Day is celebrated in the Ukrainian Armed Forces on November 30. It was established in 2010, but has taken on special relevance and significance since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as radio-technical troops are critical to keeping Ukrainians as safe as possible under the circumstances.