After the devastating airstrikes on Ukrainian cities earlier this month, US President Biden pledged further aid to the country. According to government circles, Washington could supply the HAWK air defense system from army stocks. The weapon was developed during the Vietnam War.
According to government circles, the USA is considering the delivery of older HAWK air defense systems from stocks to Ukraine because of the massive Russian missile and drone attacks. President Joe Biden’s administration would use the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), which allows it to transfer defense supplies and services from its own inventories quickly and without congressional approval in an emergency, say two people familiar with the plans . The White House declined to comment.
The HAWK anti-aircraft system is a medium-range weapon designed to be used against low- to medium-altitude targets. The interceptor missiles would increase the anti-aircraft capabilities of Ukraine’s armed forces, which previously received a smaller, shorter-range system in the form of the Stinger missiles. The HAWK system is based on technology from the Vietnam War, but has been upgraded several times and sold to 25 countries worldwide. How many HAWK missiles are still in the US arsenals is unclear.
Earlier this month, US President Joe Biden promised his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Washington would provide Ukraine with advanced air defense systems. The HAWK system formed the backbone of NATO air defense for several decades and is still in service in some countries of the defense alliance. The Bundeswehr put the system into service in 1956 and retired it in 2005. The PATRIOT defense system counts as the HAWK successor.
