U.S. Marines AH-1Z Attack Helicopter Crews Sharpen Strike Skills Amid Rising Caribbean Demands
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Marine AH-1Z Viper crews from HMLA-267 conducted close air support drills during Steel Knight 25 at Camp Pendleton on 2 December 2025. The training carries added weight as U.S. forces monitor heightened tensions around Venezuela and prepare for a rapid crisis response in the Caribbean.
On 2 December 2025, AH-1Z Viper crews from Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 267 (HMLA-267) at Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton executed a close air support training mission during the Steel Knight 25 exercise, as shown in images published by DVIDS. The sortie rehearsed the rapid, precise use of fires in support of a Marine Air-Ground Task Force operating in contested terrain. With tensions between the United States and Venezuela running high and U.S. naval and Marine units already deployed in the Caribbean, this training links routine flight operations in California to potential real-world crisis-response missions off the Venezuelan coast.
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U.S. Marine AH-1Z Viper crews at Camp Pendleton practiced fast, precise close air support during Steel Knight 25, a timely readiness push as U.S. forces track rising tensions around Venezuela (Picture Source: DVIDS)
On the ground at Camp Pendleton, the Steel Knight 25 close air support scenario is built to test the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing’s ability to deliver precise, time-sensitive strikes in support of maneuvering ground forces. Flying AH-1Z Vipers under Marine Aircraft Group 39, White and Bianco train to absorb last-minute target updates, work with forward air controllers and unmanned systems, and fire from positions that simulate small, dispersed expeditionary bases. The focus is on flying as they would in a distributed fight: aircraft cycling quickly through rearming and refueling points, command-and-control nodes shifting as the simulated front line moves, and aviation fires paced with infantry and artillery so the MAGTF can either press an attack or break contact. In recent iterations, Steel Knight has expanded to include long-range strikes, sea-denial missions and complex air-tasking sequences, turning southern California into a testing ground for the type of multi-domain operations that could unfold in both the Pacific and the Caribbean.
The AH-1Z Viper sits at the core of this approach. Evolving from the Cobra family but equipped with a four-bladed rotor, modern avionics and an integrated sensor and weapons suite, the Viper is tailored for ship-to-shore and littoral operations. It combines a nose-mounted 20 mm cannon with guided rockets and precision missiles such as the AGM-114 Hellfire and, in some configurations, the Joint Air-to-Ground Missile, allowing crews to engage armored vehicles, small craft or fortified positions from stand-off distances. Operating from amphibious assault ships or forward expeditionary sites, AH-1Zs serve as armed reconnaissance platforms and escorts for MV-22B Ospreys and CH-53K heavy-lift helicopters, while also providing rapid close air support to Marines ashore. During Steel Knight, these helicopters are integrated into a wider kill web that can include fixed-wing aircraft, naval surface fires and ground-based sensors, refining tactics for tracking and engaging mobile maritime and land targets across wide areas. The work at Camp Pendleton is therefore less about isolated crew drills than about rehearsing how Vipers plug into Navy and joint command-and-control networks in environments where communications may be degraded or contested.
These tactical sequences unfold against the backdrop of the largest U.S. naval and Marine build-up in the Caribbean in decades. Since late summer 2025, Washington has moved warships and Marine units into the southern Caribbean under an operation framed as targeting “narcoterrorist” networks linked to Venezuela’s leadership. By late September, the deployment encompassed around ten major vessels, including an amphibious assault ship, amphibious transport docks, several guided-missile destroyers and a cruiser, supported by a fast-attack submarine and the special operations support ship MV Ocean Trader. Many of these platforms are capable of launching Tomahawk cruise missiles, giving U.S. commanders options to strike land targets deep inside Venezuelan territory if ordered. As the crisis has evolved, U.S. troop levels in the region have risen to roughly 15,000 personnel with the arrival of the carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and her escorts, a concentration of air and sea power not seen in the area since the 1989 intervention in Panama.
Caracas has responded to the regional build-up with its own exercises and statements on sovereignty, adding to an already tense security environment in the Caribbean. Against this backdrop, the deployment of amphibious ships and Marine aviation detachments, including AH-1Z units capable of delivering close air support from sea-based platforms, underlines the practical value of the drills conducted in California. Steel Knight 25 shows how crews trained at Camp Pendleton can be called upon to provide tailored fire support, armed overwatch and escort missions in a maritime contingency, with procedures already rehearsed in realistic conditions.
The image of HMLA-267’s Viper crews stepping out for a Steel Knight sortie reflects the unit’s clear focus on readiness. Each flight hones close air support, armed reconnaissance, and littoral strike techniques while evaluating how the AH-1Z’s sensors, weapons, and radios perform in a simulated contested environment. Through rapid turnarounds, ground-controller coordination, and integration into broader command-and-control networks, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing keeps its Viper pilots prepared to shift from training at Camp Pendleton to potential missions in the Caribbean, armed with well-established tactics, techniques, and procedures.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
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Marine AH-1Z Viper crews from HMLA-267 conducted close air support drills during Steel Knight 25 at Camp Pendleton on 2 December 2025. The training carries added weight as U.S. forces monitor heightened tensions around Venezuela and prepare for a rapid crisis response in the Caribbean.
On 2 December 2025, AH-1Z Viper crews from Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 267 (HMLA-267) at Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton executed a close air support training mission during the Steel Knight 25 exercise, as shown in images published by DVIDS. The sortie rehearsed the rapid, precise use of fires in support of a Marine Air-Ground Task Force operating in contested terrain. With tensions between the United States and Venezuela running high and U.S. naval and Marine units already deployed in the Caribbean, this training links routine flight operations in California to potential real-world crisis-response missions off the Venezuelan coast.
U.S. Marine AH-1Z Viper crews at Camp Pendleton practiced fast, precise close air support during Steel Knight 25, a timely readiness push as U.S. forces track rising tensions around Venezuela (Picture Source: DVIDS)
On the ground at Camp Pendleton, the Steel Knight 25 close air support scenario is built to test the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing’s ability to deliver precise, time-sensitive strikes in support of maneuvering ground forces. Flying AH-1Z Vipers under Marine Aircraft Group 39, White and Bianco train to absorb last-minute target updates, work with forward air controllers and unmanned systems, and fire from positions that simulate small, dispersed expeditionary bases. The focus is on flying as they would in a distributed fight: aircraft cycling quickly through rearming and refueling points, command-and-control nodes shifting as the simulated front line moves, and aviation fires paced with infantry and artillery so the MAGTF can either press an attack or break contact. In recent iterations, Steel Knight has expanded to include long-range strikes, sea-denial missions and complex air-tasking sequences, turning southern California into a testing ground for the type of multi-domain operations that could unfold in both the Pacific and the Caribbean.
The AH-1Z Viper sits at the core of this approach. Evolving from the Cobra family but equipped with a four-bladed rotor, modern avionics and an integrated sensor and weapons suite, the Viper is tailored for ship-to-shore and littoral operations. It combines a nose-mounted 20 mm cannon with guided rockets and precision missiles such as the AGM-114 Hellfire and, in some configurations, the Joint Air-to-Ground Missile, allowing crews to engage armored vehicles, small craft or fortified positions from stand-off distances. Operating from amphibious assault ships or forward expeditionary sites, AH-1Zs serve as armed reconnaissance platforms and escorts for MV-22B Ospreys and CH-53K heavy-lift helicopters, while also providing rapid close air support to Marines ashore. During Steel Knight, these helicopters are integrated into a wider kill web that can include fixed-wing aircraft, naval surface fires and ground-based sensors, refining tactics for tracking and engaging mobile maritime and land targets across wide areas. The work at Camp Pendleton is therefore less about isolated crew drills than about rehearsing how Vipers plug into Navy and joint command-and-control networks in environments where communications may be degraded or contested.
These tactical sequences unfold against the backdrop of the largest U.S. naval and Marine build-up in the Caribbean in decades. Since late summer 2025, Washington has moved warships and Marine units into the southern Caribbean under an operation framed as targeting “narcoterrorist” networks linked to Venezuela’s leadership. By late September, the deployment encompassed around ten major vessels, including an amphibious assault ship, amphibious transport docks, several guided-missile destroyers and a cruiser, supported by a fast-attack submarine and the special operations support ship MV Ocean Trader. Many of these platforms are capable of launching Tomahawk cruise missiles, giving U.S. commanders options to strike land targets deep inside Venezuelan territory if ordered. As the crisis has evolved, U.S. troop levels in the region have risen to roughly 15,000 personnel with the arrival of the carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and her escorts, a concentration of air and sea power not seen in the area since the 1989 intervention in Panama.
Caracas has responded to the regional build-up with its own exercises and statements on sovereignty, adding to an already tense security environment in the Caribbean. Against this backdrop, the deployment of amphibious ships and Marine aviation detachments, including AH-1Z units capable of delivering close air support from sea-based platforms, underlines the practical value of the drills conducted in California. Steel Knight 25 shows how crews trained at Camp Pendleton can be called upon to provide tailored fire support, armed overwatch and escort missions in a maritime contingency, with procedures already rehearsed in realistic conditions.
The image of HMLA-267’s Viper crews stepping out for a Steel Knight sortie reflects the unit’s clear focus on readiness. Each flight hones close air support, armed reconnaissance, and littoral strike techniques while evaluating how the AH-1Z’s sensors, weapons, and radios perform in a simulated contested environment. Through rapid turnarounds, ground-controller coordination, and integration into broader command-and-control networks, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing keeps its Viper pilots prepared to shift from training at Camp Pendleton to potential missions in the Caribbean, armed with well-established tactics, techniques, and procedures.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
