American warships operating off Venezuela’s coast are not doing so without a credible threat. This comes from the presence of the Russian-made Kh-31 high-speed air-to-surface missile. Known to NATO as the AS-17 Krypton, the ramjet-powered weapon is available in both anti-radiation and anti-ship versions, with the ship-killer being the most relevant in this context. With this reality, combined with the steady drumbeat of reports raising the prospect of a military intervention of some kind in Venezuela, it’s worth looking closer at this unique capability within its arsenal.
While we have previously discussed in detail the different layers of Venezuela’s air defense system, it’s one of the key assets of its air force, the Aviación Militar Bolivariana Venezolana, AMBV, or Bolivarian Venezuelan Military Aviation, that is the launch platform for its Kh-31s. This is the Su-30MK2V Flanker multirole fighter, 24 of which were delivered between 2006 and 2008, and 21 of which survive in service today.
It should be noted that it’s not entirely clear whether Venezuela received both the anti-radiation Kh-31P and the anti-ship Kh-31A to arm its Su-30s. However, the Kh-31A, at least, appears to have been supplied, as seen in official videos showing AMBV Su-30s carrying the missiles while flying off the coast of Venezuela. Most recently, this kind of footage has been distributed by Caracas in an apparent statement of resolve against potential U.S. aggression. Venezuela has publicized its anti-ship quick reaction alert drills with these missiles in the past, as well. Moreover, the Kh-31P could also be used in anti-ship capacity, homing in on warships’ radars.
A video shows Venezuelan Su-30s using Kh-31s to launch a mock attack on a ship from an alert posture:
The development of the Kh-31 series of missiles began in the late 1970s in what was then the Soviet Union. The original requirement was for a high-speed anti-radiation missile that would be able to home in on and destroy the radars associated with then-new and emerging western air defense systems, such as the U.S. Army’s Patriot surface-to-air missile system and the U.S. Navy’s Aegis combat system.
The Kh-31A anti-ship missile entered production in 1990. Outside of Russia, it has proven an export success, with around a dozen operators, including China, India, and Vietnam.
Looking at the Kh-31A in more detail, it is fitted with an active radar seeker with a lock-on range of around 18 miles. The seeker works in both lock-on before and lock-on after launch modes. The missile also has a radio altimeter to ensure it can fly precisely at low altitude flight over water. All Kh-31s use a rocket-ramjet propulsion system to achieve sustained supersonic speeds. A rocket in the rear of the weapon boosts it to an optimal speed for the air-breathing ramjet to take over.
Combined with its high terminal speed, the Kh-31A has a penetration warhead, designed to punch through the side of a warship and detonate. This is in contrast to the high-explosive/fragmentation warhead in the Kh-31P. Making the missile harder to defeat is its ability to perform multi-axis maneuvers at up to 15G while skimming over the waves.
In terms of performance, the Kh-31A has a maximum range of 31 miles and a minimum launch distance of 9.3 miles. A longer-range version, the Kh-31AD, exists, with a maximum range of 75-100 miles, but it’s unclear if this was ever supplied to Venezuela.
The missile is accelerated to a speed of Mach 1.8 by means of a solid-propellant rocket booster; when the solid fuel is expended, the engine is ejected and the inside of the missile body is transformed into a combustion chamber for the ramjet, which accelerates the missile to Mach 3.5 at an altitude of 53,000 feet, or Mach 1.8 at sea level.
Each round weighs 1,323 pounds at launch, of which 192 pounds consists of the warhead. The Kh-31A is a notably big missile, with a total length of 15 feet 5 inches.
A good indicator of just how seriously the U.S. Navy takes the threat posed by the Kh-31A can be seen in its decision to buy the missiles from Russia and repurpose them as anti-ship missile targets to test the air defenses of its warships. The resulting target missile was known as the MA-31 and is a topic that we have written about in depth in the past.
Today, the Kh-31A may be old technology and also a weapon that the U.S. Navy has had first-hand experience of defeating (albeit in non-operational scenarios), however, its potency as an anti-ship weapon shouldn’t be underestimated.
This is true especially considering the variety of U.S. naval assets now sailing in relatively close proximity to Venezuela, in an operation aimed at putting pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The Kh-31A is a threat to be taken seriously.
The U.S. naval presence in the region includes the Iwo Jima Amphibious Readiness Group (ARG)/22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), with more than 4,500 sailors and Marines on three ships: The Wasp class amphibious assault ship, the USS Iwo Jima, and the San Antonio class amphibious transport dock ships, the USS San Antonio and USS Fort Lauderdale.
Also deployed in the region are several Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyers, a Ticonderoga class guided missile cruiser, and the Ocean Trader, a shadowy special operations mothership. The presence of a cruiser, in particular, shadowing the Ocean Trader, underscores the fact that the Pentagon is taking the threat to this vessel very seriously. After all, the Ocean Trader has no organic defenses against anti-ship missiles and has, at times, operated very close to the Venezuelan coast.
As for the Arleigh Burkes, it is worth recalling that the Navy has already made efforts to bolster the defenses of some of these. Those that are forward-deployed to Rota, Spain, feature specific kinetic and non-kinetic systems to operate in the face of anti-ship cruise missiles in high-threat areas, including off the coast of Syria, but also in the Black Sea, which is a nearly land-locked super anti-ship missile engagement zone. Other electronic warfare upgrades continue on various surface combatants across the fleet, including some that are radical in scope.
While these ships are capable of dealing with Kh-31s, and the Navy has learned a lot when it comes to defending against complex attacks on their ships over the last couple of years, that doesn’t mean they can ignore them. Its speed leaves very little reaction time, especially considering early warning would be limited if the vessels were operating very close to the Venezuelan coastline.
Exactly what the U.S. plans to do with its military assets in regard to Maduro remains unclear. Back in August, as the military buildup gathered pace, U.S. officials told CNN that it had ordered naval movements in the region to contain the threat from drug-trafficking groups.
As we have outlined in the past, the deployment of an ARG and various surface combatants, as well as other high-end assets, sends a very strong signal to Maduro and the cartels. The Pentagon could carry out airstrikes or even put a limited number of boots on the ground from international waters in a hurry via special operations raids should President Donald Trump so decide. These may be aimed at cartels linked to Maduro and not the regime itself, but they still would be unprecedented.
Were such a military option to be launched, it would be possible that Venezuela’s Su-30s, armed with Kh-31A missiles, would be called into action, although targeting a U.S. Navy warship would be a huge deal, with massive repercussions.
In recent weeks, however, Venezuela has flown its fighters directly at U.S. warships, a Pentagon official having confirmed to TWZ that a pair of Venezuelan F-16s flew close to a U.S. Navy vessel in September, as you can read about here. Other similar instances have reportedly occurred. With U.S. Navy vessels operating close to the Venezuelan coast, there exists the very real possibility of a surprise attack on these ships as these close encounters would have put fighter aircraft within the Kh-31’s launch range.
Aside from the Su-30/Kh-31 combination, Venezuela’s anti-ship missile capabilities are currently fairly limited.
The Venezuelan Navy has a single operational Mariscal Sucre class frigate, the Almirante Brión, part of a group of warships that were commissioned in the early 1980s. The Italian-made warship was supplied armed with eight launchers for Otomat Mk 2 anti-ship missiles. The same missiles, in twin launchers, were fitted to the Venezeulan Navy’s Constitución class fast attack craft, of which three are reportedly still operational.
Italy also supplied Venezuela with Sea Killer anti-ship missiles, which armed Venezuelan Navy AB.212 helicopters, several of which remain active, although primarily now used for assault and logistics missions.
The operational status of these Italian-made systems should be considered questionable. Even if still serviceable, they are a far less threatening proposition than the Kh-31A. Both missiles have subsonic performance. The Otomat Mk 2 has a range of around 110 miles, while the Sea Killer can hit targets out to a range of around 6.2 miles.
More recent anti-ship missile deliveries comprise the Iranian-made CM-90 (an export version of the Nasr) that were supplied by Tehran along with Peykaap III (Zolfaghar class) fast attack craft. These are also subsonic weapons.
Although the U.S. Navy is now much more familiar with the threat posed by the AS-17 Krypton, and while its warships are fitted with air defense systems that are capable of dealing with just such a threat, among others, this remains a very potent weapon.
If Venezuela were to directly attack an American warship, it would very likely result in being at war with the United States. But if the regime was already in such a predicament, or if it was facing imminent collapse, such an act could become a greater possibility.
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