The United States government has authorized the possible sale of additional MIM-23 HAWK anti-aircraft systems to equip the Armed Forces of Ukraine, constituting a new operation to be carried out through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, for which an estimated investment of 172 million dollars will be required. This was notified by the U.S. Department of State to Congress via the usual publicly accessible statement, which was issued over the course of yesterday.
Reviewing the specifics of the package the Ukrainian troops would receive to strengthen their air defense capabilities, the official statement details the purchase of five-ton cargo trucks, spare parts for the HAWK system, and refurbishment services for the launchers. Additionally, the potential sale includes tool kits, testing equipment, technical documentation, training for Kyiv’s personnel by their U.S. counterparts, and other elements related to the system’s logistics.
Regarding this, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) stated: “This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving Ukraine’s capability to defend itself. This proposed sale will enhance Ukraine’s ability to meet current and future threats, better equipping it to carry out self-defense and regional security missions with a more robust air defense capability. Ukraine will have no difficulty absorbing these items and services into its armed forces.”
Expanding on the details, we can confirm that the main contractors involved in the possible sale will be: Sielman Corporation, based in Greece; PROJECTXYZ, located in the state of Alabama; and RTX Corporation, based in Massachusetts. On the other hand, it was specified that although the agreement does not foresee the need to close offset arrangements for its implementation, the deployment of five U.S. government representatives and fifteen contractors to Ukrainian territory will be required to facilitate the execution of the agreement.
Finally, it is worth remembering that Ukraine has not only received HAWK batteries and complementary equipment from the U.S. as part of the military aid provided to counter the Russian invasion, but also from Spain and Sweden. In that regard, it is useful to recall that, during September 2024, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles confirmed the delivery of one of Spain’s MIM-23 HAWK batteries along with a batch of missiles decommissioned by the Spanish Army; this in addition to the prior delivery of Patriot systems supplied in previous aid packages.
*Images used for illustrative purposes only
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