Two formidable anti-ship missiles of Vietnam's Su-30MK2

While waiting for India to sell BrahMos-M, the Vietnam Air Force can rest assured that the Su-30MK2 is equipped with two very powerful anti-ship missiles.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute - SIPRI, Vietnam received a large number of Kh-31A air-to-ship missiles (possibly accompanied by the Kh-31P anti-radar version) from Russia in two batches, in 2004 and 2012, to equip Su-30MK2 fighters.

Kh-31A anti-ship missile

Kh-31A (NATO reporting name AS-17 Krypton) is a Russian anti-ship missile equipped with modern aircraft such as the MiG-29 Fulcrum or Su-27 Flanker.

The missile is 4.7 m long; 0.36 m in diameter; has a range of 50 km; carries a 94 kg warhead and is capable of reaching a maximum speed of Mach 3.5. This is also the first supersonic anti-ship missile equipped for tactical aircraft.

The Kh-31 has several variants, the most famous of which is the Kh-31P anti-radar missile (ARM). A long-range air-to-air variant is also being considered for development, with the Kh-31 aiming to become an "AWACS killer".

In addition, some foreign sources believe that Vietnam also has in its inventory a variant with extended range Kh-31AD, with a range of up to nearly 100 km.

Kh-59MK anti-ship missile mounted on Su-24 attack aircraft

In mid-2015, the Vietnamese Sputnik website announced that Russia had sold Vietnam Kh-59MK anti-ship missiles to equip Su-30MK2 multi-role fighters.

Kh-59MK is an anti-ship variant modified from the Kh-59 Ovod (AS-13 Kingbolt) land-attack cruise missile, used to destroy surface targets with small radar reflection areas day and night, in all weather conditions with waves up to level 6.

The missile is equipped with only a turbofan engine located under the body (no solid fuel rocket engine at the tail like the Kh-59ME ground-attack version), giving a subsonic speed of Mach 0.88.

The weight of Kh-59MK is 900 kg, carrying a 320 kg warhead, enough to disable a large warship with just one shot. It can attack a warship with a radar reflection area (RCS) of 5,000 m² from a distance of 285 km; destroy small boats (RCS about 300 m²) from a distance of 145 km; minimum firing range of 5 - 25 km.

According to the manufacturer, the ARGS-59E seeker can detect destroyers (RCS > 5,000 m²) at a distance of 25 km and small warships (RCS 300 m²) at a distance of 15 km.

After being launched, the missile will fly 10 - 15 meters above the water surface, and when approaching the target, it will descend 4 - 7 meters, making it extremely difficult for the enemy's air defense system to deal with.

According to Baodatviet