The Advantages of the American-made HAWK Surface-to-Air Missile System for Ukraine

Key Highlights :

1. The HAWK surface-to-air missile system is more than 60 years old.

2. It is reported that the United States is negotiating to buy back twelve or more HAWK batteries from Taiwan.

3. This would help Kyiv to resolve a looming crisis: the imminent depletion of missile stocks for its ex-Soviet S-300 and Buk SAMs.

4. An American-brokered donation of a dozen or more ex-Taiwanese HAWK batteries would go a long way toward solving this problem.

     Ukraine has endured a great deal of conflict in recent years, and the country is now facing a looming crisis in its air-defense capabilities. With the depletion of its existing missile stocks for ex-Soviet S-300 and Buk SAMs, Ukraine is in need of a reliable and sustainable SAM system. Reports have now emerged that the United States is negotiating with Taiwan to buy back a dozen or so HAWK batteries, with around a hundred launchers, which Taiwanese forces began retiring back in 2015 and replacing with locally-designed SAMs. If these negotiations are successful, the United States may donate the hundred or so HAWK launchers plus missiles and associated equipment, including radars, to Ukraine.

     The American-made HAWK surface-to-air missile system is more than 60 years old, but it is still an effective and reliable defense system. The Raytheon MIM-23 Homing All-the-Way Killer is simple, highly-mobile, easy to upgrade and works just fine against slower drones, cruise missiles and manned aircraft. It is also compatible with the U.S.-Norwegian National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, or NASAMS, which Ukraine already uses.

     The HAWK is a medium-range SAM. Each 17-foot missile, fired by a launcher with three rounds, ranges around 30 miles. The missile homes in on energy from a ground-based radar reflecting from the airborne target. The dozen or so countries still deploying the HAWK value it for its simplicity, compactness, and upgradability.

     The addition of the HAWK system to Ukraine's air-defense network would be a major boon for the country. It is a reliable and sustainable system that is highly mobile and easy to upgrade. It is also compatible with the NASAMS system, meaning that the Ukrainian air force could combine its NASAMS and HAWK batteries into a single force using the same radars and command posts.

     The American-made HAWK surface-to-air missile system is more than 60 years old, but it is still an effective and reliable defense system. If the United States is successful in negotiating with Taiwan to buy back the dozen or so HAWK batteries, it could be a major boon for Ukraine's air-defense network. The HAWK is a reliable and sustainable system that is highly mobile and easy to upgrade, and it is also compatible with the NASAMS system. This could help Ukraine to resolve its looming crisis and provide the country with a reliable and sustainable SAM system.

Continue Reading at Source : forbes