US approves $108 million HAWK missile system equipment sale to Ukraine
on Google
The U.S. State Department has approved a $108.1 million sale of equipment to Ukraine to support the HAWK air defense missile system, according to a May 21 statement.
The HAWK system is a U.S.-made air defense system designed to intercept aircraft, drones and cruise missiles at ranges of up to 40–50 kilometers (25–30 miles), depending on the missile variant. Ukraine received the weapons from Western partners to strengthen its air defenses against Russian attacks.
The package includes maintenance and modification support, spare parts, repair services, logistics assistance, and technical support for FrankenSAM HAWK systems, the U.S. State Department said.
"The proposed sale will improve Ukraine's capability to meet current and future threats by further equipping it to conduct self-defense and regional security missions with a more robust integrated air defense capability," the statement read
The equipment sale will be conducted through the Foreign Military Sales program, with Colorado-based Sierra Nevada Corporation acting as the primary contractor.
Fabian Hoffmann, a doctoral research fellow at the University of Oslo specializing in missile technology, told the Kyiv Independent that such measures are standard in missile procurement but can be critical for maintaining more advanced systems.
"Such support packages are standard in missile procurement. Germany pays $10 million per PAC-3 MSE in a recent contract, but $3.5 million likely represents the support package share, while around $6.5 million covers the missile itself," Hoffmann said.
"It is generally useful to have the manufacturer involved in maintenance, as they have insights an outside party may not necessarily have. That said, this is likely more important and critical for more modern equipment than older systems."
Ukraine first received HAWK systems at the end of 2022 as part of a $400 million U.S. security assistance package.
In 2025, the U.S. authorized a potential $172 million Foreign Military Sale to Ukraine for the sustainment of its HAWK Phase III missile system, including related equipment and services.
