Ukraine's air defense system is becoming much more powerful with the help of its Western allies
Most recently, Ukraine has added two very respectable air defense systems from Spain
Aspide and MIM-23 HAWK, according to a notice of the Spanish Ministry of Defense on November 10, 2022
Spain committed to provide Ukraine with 4 MIM-23 HAWK systems
Ukraine has a strong need for much more advanced missile interceptors
So far, the only impressive air defense systems are NASAMS and IRIS-T delivered by the US and Germany
Currently, the Ukrainian Air Defense Forces mainly rely on Soviet-era missile systems, mainly S-300 and Buk-M1
However, their combat effectiveness is not really high
There are opinions that the MIM-23 HAWK anti-aircraft missile complexes, produced since the 1960s, are now really outdated
Regardless, it is still a significant addition to the Ukrainian air defense forces
The system was developed in the late 1950s and has been in operation since 1960
Since then, the MIM-23 HAWK has been modernized several times for missile interception
In the 1990s, they added modern radars for target detection, tracking and locking, a new warhead for missiles
and increased resistance to electronic warfare
According to Russian media, the MIM-23 can help Ukrainian forces effectively intercept aerial targets
especially drones as well as cruise missiles
The maximum range of the MIM-23 HAWK is about 45 - 50 km, the missile is equipped with a solid fuel engine
can reach a maximum speed of Mach 2.4, and has a ceiling of 20 km
The navigation system is a semi-active homing guidance system - a fairly advanced technology at the time of its inception
MIM-23 HAWK is very experienced in combat. Even in recent years, it was actively used in the Iraq and Libya wars
It can be said that MIM-23 HAWK is one of the most engaged air defense complexes
It first appeared on Israel's side during the 1967 "Six-Day War", but was unsuccessful, due to shortcomings in the radar system
By the "Yom Kippur War" in 1973, the US Military Industrial Corporation had overcome the shortcomings of the system
helping the Israeli army to shoot down 17 Arab planes and helicopters
The most numerous version is the I-HAWK, capable of hitting targets at a range of 1 to 35 km, at an altitude of 6 to 18 km
In terms of tactical characteristics, it is equivalent to the Soviet S-125 "Neva" and 2K12 "Kub"/"Kvadrat" air defense missile complexes
which have long been retired from the Russian army
Over the course of several decades, the Hawk has demonstrated superiority in dozens of conflicts around the world
However, because it was built on 1960s technology of the last century, no matter how much upgraded, HAWK is no longer suitable for 21st century wars
The last US military MIM-23 HAWKs were retired and put into storage in 2002, replacing them with man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS)
Almost every month, military transport planes take off from Madrid to transport ammunition, supplies, medical equipment... to its allies