HAWK Missile:
It is up to the United States to decide what to do with Taiwan’s decommissioned HAWK anti-aircraft missiles, the island’s Defence Minister said recently.
- 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- It was superseded by the MIM-104 Patriot in United States Army service by 1994.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 user, 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- However, it is generally considered outdated compared to more modern systems like the Patriot missile defense system.
