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

While waiting for India to sell the BrahMos-M, the Vietnamese Air Force can rest assured for now 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 anti-ship missiles (possibly including the Kh-31P anti-radar version) from Russia in two batches, in 2004 and 2012, to equip its Su-30MK2 fighter jets.

Kh-31A anti-ship missile

The Kh-31A (NATO designation AS-17 Krypton) is a Russian anti-ship missile equipped on modern aircraft such as the MiG-29 Fulcrum and Su-27 Flanker.

The missile is 4.7 m long, has a body diameter of 0.36 m, a range of 50 km, carries a 94 kg warhead, and is capable of reaching a maximum speed of Mach 3.5. It is also the first supersonic anti-ship missile to be equipped on tactical aircraft.

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

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

The Kh-59MK anti-ship missile is mounted on the Su-24 attack aircraft.

In mid-2015, the Vietnamese-language Sputnik website reported that Russia had sold Kh-59MK anti-ship missiles to Vietnam to equip its Su-30MK2 multirole fighter jets.

The Kh-59MK is a modified anti-ship variant of the Kh-59 Ovod (AS-13 Kingbolt) land-attack cruise missile, used to destroy surface targets with small radar cross-sections day and night, in all weather conditions, even with sea waves up to level 6.

The missile is equipped with only a turbofan engine located at the bottom of the fuselage (without a solid-fuel rocket engine at the tail like the Kh-59ME ground-attack version), giving it a subsonic speed of Mach 0.88.

Weighing 900 kg and carrying a 320 kg warhead, the Kh-59MK is powerful enough to neutralize large warships with a single shot. It can attack warships with a radar cross-section (RCS) of 5,000 m² from a distance of 285 km; destroy small boats (RCS approximately 300 m²) from 145 km; and has a minimum range of 5-25 km.

According to the manufacturer, the ARGS-59E guidance system can detect destroyers (RCS > 5,000 m²) from 25 km away and small warships (RCS 300 m²) from 15 km away.

After launch, the missile will fly 10-15 meters above the water surface, descending to 4-7 meters upon approaching the target, making it extremely difficult for the enemy's air defense system to counter.

According to Baodatviet