• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Hawk

Spain offered Ukraine another six HAWK air defence systems to protect the country’s grain export corridor and critical infrastructure against Russian attacks, a Spanish government source told journalists on 05 October 2023. Spain has earlier sent six US-made HAWK launchers to Kyiv, according to the defence ministry. The Spanish army will also train Ukrainian soldiers to use these news systems as well as provide more demining equipment, the same source said earlier.

In 2022, Spain transferred four MIM-23 Hawk air defense systems to Ukraine. MIM-23 Hawk is an American medium-range anti-aircraft missile system manufactured by Raytheon. It was originally designed to destroy aircraft, but was later modified to intercept missiles in flight.

It was adopted in 1960, and since then, it has undergone several modernization programs. Initially, the system was developed to destroy aircraft. It was later upgraded to intercept missiles. The first versions of the system had a range of 25 km for aerial targets, and an altitude of 14 km. After modernization, the maximum target interception range increased to 40 km with a maximum interception altitude of 18 km.

Each mobile launcher houses three MIM-23 anti-aircraft missiles. Launchers can be either self-propelled or towed. In addition to launchers, depending on the modification, the battery includes various radars, a mobile control post, an IFF system, and several other auxiliary equipments.

In 1994, the United States Army replaced the system with the MIM-104 Patriot SAM. The system was finally decommissoned in the United States in 2002 after the American Marine Corps removed it from service. In total, approximately 40,000 missiles were produced globally for this type of SAM. They were produced not only in the United States but in several other countries under licensing agreements.

It is desirable for Ukraine to receive these systems with the latest modernisation, indeed, in order for Ukraine’s air defence to be able to resist not only UAVs but also cruise missiles which the Russians are using to seriously threaten Ukraine’s critical infrastructure. Any weapons that will reinforce Ukraine’s air defence system are helpful, as highlighted by the spokesperson for the Air Force.

By October 2022, the US was considering providing Ukraine with the Hawk anti-aircraft missile complex for air defense. This will help protect against attacks by Russian drones and cruise missiles. This is reported by the mass media with reference to American officials.

To transfer the HAWK, the presidential administration would use the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), which allows the transfer of weapons from stocks quickly without congressional approval. The exact number of HAWK air defense systems is currently unknown. The US would likely initially ship the interceptor missiles for the systems, as it is unclear how many launchers are in good condition, as reported by one of the U.S. officials. These systems have been in storage for decades.

In November 2022, Spain sent a total of six U.S.-made HAWK air-defense systems to Ukraine. The United States is also considering sending a few older HAWK systems from storage, but these would probably need to be refurbished first. The HAWK was developed in the 1950s by Raytheon Technologies and was mostly phased out during the 2000s. It is a mobile system that provides defense against low-to-medium-altitude aircraft and is expected to be effective against Iranian drones.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said 02 Movember 2022 after the Spanish Foreign Minister informed about the decision to transfer Hawk systems to Ukraine, this became a signal for other countries to start searching for Hawk systems and preparing them for transfer to Ukraine. "Even more air defense means will come to us," Kuleba said.

Ukraine in June [or within the next few months] may receive the first anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM) Hawk, as well as equipment and missiles for them. This was stated 16 June 2023 by the Ukrainian Minister of Defense Oleksiy Reznikov following a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission. "Already this month or within the next months, we will be able to receive the first Hawk systems, which we did not have yet, and the corresponding equipment and missiles for them," Ukrinform quoted him as saying.

Reznikov added that Kyiv needs to develop an air defense system (air defense). According to him, Ukraine is not far from the goal of developing a multi-level air defense system. "We have already built it and are now developing it," he said. Although, until recently, Reznikov admitted that Soviet equipment remains the main element of the Ukrainian air defense system, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine have almost used up the stocks of missiles for it.

On 09 June 2023, the US authorities decided to provide Ukraine with a new $2.1 billion military aid package, which will include air defense systems and ammunition. This included the MIM-23 Hawk air defense system, artillery shells of 105 mm and 203 mm caliber, Puma drones, missile systems with a laser guidance system. In addition, the American side is ready to assist the Ukrainian military in the preparation and maintenance of equipment.

The Taiwan military retired the Phase III MIM-23 Hawk air defense system in June 2023. Taiwan was armed with 4 divisions and 18 batteries with MIM-23 Hawk air defense systems, as well as several hundred missiles for them.

On 14 July 2023, the Taiwanese information portal Zhongshi xinwenwang, citing sources, said that the United States intended to buy decommissioned Phase III MIM-23 Hawk medium-range air defense systems and hundreds of missiles for them from Taiwan for subsequent delivery to Ukraine. According to the interlocutors of the portal, an agreement on this was reached in 2022.

Taiwan's Defense Department did not confirm this information, but noted that the island's legislation allows the resale of weapons under special circumstances. In April 2023, the agency reported that it plans to allocate funding for the disposal of 250 missiles for the Hawk air defense system by the end of 2023.

MIM-23 Hawk air defense systems had been in service with Taiwan since the 1960s and were decommissioned only in June of this year. They can hit targets at an altitude of up to 20,000 meters at a distance of up to 50 km. According to the portal, from 1965 to 2017, the MIM-23 Hawk air defense systems of the Taiwanese armed forces took part in live-fire exercises at least 41 times. A total of 324 missiles were fired, of which 293 successfully hit targets. Thus, their effectiveness was about 90.4%.

Taiwan does not plan to resell the US anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM) Hawk for their subsequent delivery to Ukraine. This was announced on 18 July 2023 by the head of the defense department of the island Qiu Guozheng. "The terms have already been set, in accordance with which they will get rid of the Hawk air defense system year after year, they will be replaced by the Tiangong air defense system (the English name is Sky Bow - TASS note). After that, they will be destroyed," the Central Information Agency quoted him as saying.

"The Zhongshan Institute of Science and Technology is responsible for partial disposal. We do not want to resell them [Hawk air defense systems] to other people, countries, and so on, since military products are sensitive matter that cannot be treated arbitrarily," he said.