Deep in Oklahoma, America Revives Cold War Missiles—Ukraine's Cities Depend on Them
More Hawk missiles are 'en route' to Ukraine
The Ukrainian government will spend $172 million buying vehicles, parts, training, maintenance and other services for the Ukrainian air force’s U.S.-made Hawk air-defense batteries.
“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the ability of Ukraine to provide for its own defense,” the U.S. State Department noted.
The Hawk is becoming one of the most important air-defense weapons in Ukraine’s arsenal. Not because it’s particularly new: the Homing All the Way Killer missile dates from the late 1950s, making it a full generation older than Ukraine’s best air-defenses, its U.S.-made Patriots.
No, the Hawk best attributes are its simplicity, reliability and—most importantly—abundance. A new facility in the U.S. state of Oklahoma has been refurbishing thousands of the Hawk system’s 5-meter missiles.