HAWK Air Defense Equipment

About HAWK Missile:

• The HAWK (Homing All the Way Killer) MIM-23 is an all-weather low-to medium-altitude ground-to-air missile system.
• It was developed and designed by the American Defence Company, Raytheon.
• It was initially designed to destroy aircraft and was later adapted to destroy other missiles in flight.
• The missile entered service in 1960, and a program of extensive upgrades has kept it from becoming obsolete.
• It was superseded by the MIM-104 Patriot in United States Army service by 1994.
• It was finally phased out of US service in 2002, with the last users, the US Marine Corps, replacing it with the man-portable IR-guided visual range FIM-92 Stinger. 
• The HAWK missile system has been widely exported and is still used by various countries globally, including NATO allies and countries in Asia and the Middle East.
• It employs a Semi-Active-Radar-Homing (SARH) guidance system.
• The Hawk missile is transported and launched from the M192 towed triple-missile launcher and is propelled by a dual-thrust motor, with a boost phase and a sustain phase.
• The HAWK can engage multiple targets simultaneously and is effective in a variety of weather conditions.
• However, it is generally considered outdated compared to more modern systems like the Patriot missile defense system.

Q1: What is NATO?

Formed in 1949 with the signing of the Washington Treaty, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a security alliance of 32 countries from North America and Europe. NATO’s fundamental goal is to safeguard the Allies’ freedom and security by political and military means. It is a system of collective defence where independent member states agree for mutual defence in case of any attack by an external party.

News: Up to US to decide what to do with decommissioned HAWK missiles, Taiwan says