According to two U.S. officials, the US is thinking of providing Ukraine outdated HAWK air defence equipment from storage to bolster with its protection against Russian drone and cruise missile assaults. The HAWK interceptor missiles would be an improvement over the Stinger missile systems, a smaller, shorter range air defence system that the US has launched to thwart the Russian invasion.
Using the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), the Biden administration would transfer the HAWK equipment, which is based on technology from the Vietnam War era but has undergone several upgrades. In response to an emergency, the PDA enables the United States to swiftly transfer defence goods and services from inventories without legislative permission.
How many HAWK systems and missiles the US has ready for transfer is unknown to Reuters. The White House chose not to respond.
According to U.S. sources speaking to Reuters, the PATRIOT missile defence system by Raytheon Technologies, which is still off the table for Ukraine, is the forerunner of the HAWK system. Following a deadly Russian missile strike earlier this month, U.S. President Joe Biden promised Ukraine President Volodomyr Zelenskiy that Washington would give Ukraine sophisticated air systems.
According to Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary general of NATO, Spain plans to contribute four HAWK launchers.
Because it was uncertain if enough American launchers were in acceptable condition, the United States would probably initially provide interceptor missiles for the HAWK system to Ukraine, a U.S. official told Reuters. The American systems have been stored for many years.
U.S. authorities have stated that a PDA is being considered for later this week. It would probably be half as big as the most recent security assistance packages, which have been roughly $700 million in size, according to a U.S. official. Although it was not immediately obvious whether HAWK interceptor missiles would be provided, American officials have previously issued a warning that the amount and makeup of military aid packages can quickly alter.
The Russian invasion of neighbouring Ukraine on February 24 has been referred to as a “special military operation” by Moscow. Since then, the US has provided Kyiv with security support totaling about $17.6 billion.
