U.S. Approves Hawk Air Defense Equipment Sale to Ukraine

The U.S. Department of State has approved a potential $108.1 million sale of equipment and support services for Hawk air defense systems to Ukraine.

According to a May 21 announcement, Ukraine requested trailers for launcher mast systems, along with equipment upgrades, modifications, and maintenance support.

The potential sale also includes spare parts and consumables, repair support, as well as engineering, technical, and logistics services provided by the U.S. government and American contractors.

It also covers additional logistics and program support elements related to the Hawk air defense systems.

The main contractor for the project will be Sierra Nevada Corporation.

MIM-23 HAWK air defense systems began arriving in Ukraine in late 2022 as part of military aid provided by several countries.

Ukrainian forces use these air defense systems to protect cities and strategic facilities from Russian cruise missiles and drones.

Last July, the United States approved a potential $172 million sale of Hawk Phase III air defense systems and maintenance equipment to Ukraine. The package also included related equipment and training support.

Although the systems were developed decades ago, major upgrades in the 1990s helped keep them effective against modern aerial threats.

Its components were upgraded from analog to digital, and more modern radar systems and a command post were integrated.

The Hawk Phase III variant is capable of intercepting aerial targets at a range of up to 40 km and a maximum altitude of 18 km.