MIM-23 Hawk
Encyclopedia
The Raytheon
Raytheon
Raytheon Company is a major American defense contractor and industrial corporation with core manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics. It was previously involved in corporate and special-mission aircraft until early 2007...

 MIM-23 Hawk is a U.S. medium range surface-to-air missile
Surface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles...

. The Hawk 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 It was superseded by the MIM-104 Patriot
MIM-104 Patriot
The MIM-104 Patriot is a surface-to-air missile system, the primary of its kind used by the United States Army and several allied nations. It is manufactured by the Raytheon Company of the United States. The Patriot System replaced the Nike Hercules system as the U.S. Army's primary High to Medium...

 in United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 service by 1994. It was finally phased out of U.S. service in 2002, the last users, the U.S. Marine Corps replacing it with the man-portable infrared-guided visual range FIM-92 Stinger
FIM-92 Stinger
The FIM-92 Stinger is a personal portable infrared homing surface-to-air missile , which can be adapted to fire from ground vehicles and helicopters , developed in the United States and entered into service in 1981. Used by the militaries of the U.S...

. The missile was also produced outside the US in Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...

, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 and Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

.

Although the U.S. never used the Hawk in combat, it has been employed numerous times by other nations. Approximately 40,000 of the missiles were produced. Jane's
Jane's Information Group
Jane's Information Group is a publishing company specializing in transportation and military topics.-History:It was founded by Fred T...

reported that the original system's single shot kill probability was 0.56; I-Hawk improved this to 0.85.

Similar Soviet systems are the SA-3
S-125
The Isayev S-125 Neva/Pechora Soviet surface-to-air missile system was designed to complement the S-25 and S-75. It has a shorter effective range and lower engagement altitude than either of its predecessors and also flies slower, but due to its two-stage design it is more effective against more...

 and SA-6.

Development

Development of the Hawk missile system began in 1952, when the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 began studies into a medium range semi-active radar homing
Semi-active radar homing
Semi-active radar homing, or SARH, is a common type of missile guidance system, perhaps the most common type for longer-range air-to-air and surface-to-air missile systems. The name refers to the fact that the missile itself is only a passive detector of a radar signal – provided by an external ...

 surface-to-air missile
Surface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles...

. In July 1954 development contracts where awarded to Northrop
Northrop Corporation
Northrop Corporation was a leading United States aircraft manufacturer from its formation in 1939 until its merger with Grumman to form Northrop Grumman in 1994. The company is known for its development of the flying wing design, although only a few of these have entered service.-History:Jack...

 for the launcher, radars and fire control systems, while Raytheon
Raytheon
Raytheon Company is a major American defense contractor and industrial corporation with core manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics. It was previously involved in corporate and special-mission aircraft until early 2007...

 was awarded the contract for the missile. The first test launch of the missile then designated the XSAM-A-18 happened in June 1956. By July 1957 development was completed, by which time the designation had changed to XM3 and XM3E1. Very early missiles used the Aerojet M22E7 which was not reliable; the problems were resolved with the adoption of the M22E8 engine.

The missile was initially deployed by the U.S. Army in 1959, and by the US Marine Corps in 1960.

The high complexity of the system, and the quality of tube
Vacuum tube
In electronics, a vacuum tube, electron tube , or thermionic valve , reduced to simply "tube" or "valve" in everyday parlance, is a device that relies on the flow of electric current through a vacuum...

-based electronics, gave the radars in the early Hawk systems a MTBF of only 43 hours. The improved Hawk system increased this to 130 to 170 hours. Later Hawk versions improved this further to between 300 and 400 hours.

Improved Hawk or I-Hawk
The original Hawk system had problems engaging targets at low altitude - the missile would have problems picking the target out against ground clutter. The US army began a program to address these issues in 1964 - the Hawk Improvement Program (Hawk/HIP). This involved numerous upgrades to the Hawk system:
  • A digital data processing central information coordinator for target processing, threat ordering, and intercept evaluation.
  • An improved missile (MIM-23B) with a larger warhead, smaller and more powerful M112 motor, and improved guidance section.
  • The PAR, CWAR, HPI, and ROR were replaced by upgraded variants (see #Radars).

The system entered service during 1972, the first unit reaching operational status by October. All US units were upgraded to I-Hawk standard by 1978.

Product Improvement Plan
In 1973 the U.S. Army started an extensive multi-phase Hawk PIP (Product Improvement Plan), mainly intended to improve and upgrade the numerous items of ground equipment.
  • Phase I
  • : Phase I involved replacement of the CWAR with the AN/MPQ-55 Improved CWAR (ICWAR), and the upgrade of the AN/MPQ-50 PAR to Improved PAR (IPAR) configuration by the addition of a digital MTI (Moving Target Indicator). The first PIP Phase I systems were fielded between 1979 and 1981.
  • Phase II
  • : Developed from 1978 and fielded between 1983 and 1986. upgraded the AN/MPQ-46 HPI to AN/MPQ-57 standard by replacing some of the vacuum tube
    Vacuum tube
    In electronics, a vacuum tube, electron tube , or thermionic valve , reduced to simply "tube" or "valve" in everyday parlance, is a device that relies on the flow of electric current through a vacuum...

     based electronics with modern solid-state
    Transistor
    A transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify and switch electronic signals and power. It is composed of a semiconductor material with at least three terminals for connection to an external circuit. A voltage or current applied to one pair of the transistor's terminals changes the current...

     circuits, and added an optical TAS (Tracking Adjunct System). The TAS, designated OD-179/TVY, is an electro-optical (TV) tracking system that increases Hawk operability and survivability in a high-ECM environment.
  • Phase III
  • : The PIP Phase III development was started in 1983, and was first fielded by U. S. forces in 1989. Phase III was a major upgrade which significantly enhanced the computer hardware and software for most components of the system, a new CWAR the AN/MPQ-62, added single-scan target detection capability, and upgraded the HPI to AN/MPQ-61 standard by addition of a Low-Altitude Simultaneous Hawk Engagement (LASHE) system. LASHE allows the Hawk system to counter saturation attack
    Saturation attack
    Saturation attack is a military tactic in which the attacking side hopes to gain an advantage by overwhelming the defending side's technological, physical and mental ability to respond effectively...

    s by simultaneously intercepting multiple low-level targets. The ROR was phased out in Phase III Hawk units.


Hawk Missile Restore Reliability (MRR)
This was a program that ran between 1982 and 1984 intended to improve missile reliability.


Hawk ECCM
Running alongside the MMR program, this produced ECCM
Electronic counter-countermeasures
Electronic counter-countermeasures is a part of electronic warfare which includes a variety of practices which attempt to reduce or eliminate the effect of electronic countermeasures on electronic sensors aboard vehicles, ships and aircraft and weapons such as missiles. ECCM is also known as...

 to specific threats, probably contemporary Soviet ECM pods such as the SPS-141 fitted to the Su-22, which proved moderately effective during the Iran-Iraq War
Iran-Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between the armed forces of Iraq and Iran, lasting from September 1980 to August 1988, making it the longest conventional war of the twentieth century...

. The MIM-23C and E missiles contain these fixes.


Low clutter enhancements
Upgrades to the missile that takes it up to MIM-23G that enable the missile to deal with low flying targets in a high clutter environment. These were first deployed in 1990.


Hawk missile ILM (Improved lethality modification)
To improve the lethality of the warhead of the missile against ballistic missile
Ballistic missile
A ballistic missile is a missile that follows a sub-orbital ballistic flightpath with the objective of delivering one or more warheads to a predetermined target. The missile is only guided during the relatively brief initial powered phase of flight and its course is subsequently governed by the...

s, the warhead was redesigned to produce fewer larger fragments, typically 35 grams each comparable to a 12.7 mm
.50 BMG
The .50 Browning Machine Gun or 12.7×99mm NATO is a cartridge developed for the Browning .50 caliber machine gun in the late 1910s. Entering service officially in 1921, the round is based on a greatly scaled-up .30-06 cartridge...

 projectile in mass.


Hawk mobility and TMD upgrades
A Hawk mobility survivability enhancement programme has been developed following experience in the 1990 Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...

. The aim of this programme was to reduce the number of support vehicles per battery and to increase survivability. Upgrades to the launcher allow missiles to be transported on the launcher itself, as well as replacing vacuum tubes with a single laptop computer. A north finding system speeds orientation and launcher alignment. A field wire replaces heavy cables and allows for greater dispersion amongst battery vehicles from 110 m to 2 km. The upgrades where deployed by the US Marine Corps between early 1995 and September 1996.


Phase IV
With both the Army and USMC abandoning the Hawk, phase IV was never completed. However it was planned to include:
  • High mobility continuous wave acquisition radar to improve detection of small UAVs.
  • A new CW engagement radar.
  • Anti-radiation missile decoys.
  • An improved missile motor.
  • An upgraded electro-optical tracker.
  • Improved command and control.
  • ATBM upgrades.


Hawk XXI (Hawk 21)
The Hawk XXI or Hawk-21 is a more advanced, and more compact version of Hawk PIP-3 upgrade. Hawk-XXI basically eliminates the PAR and CWAR radars with the introduction of 3D MPQ-64 Sentinel
MPQ-64 Sentinel
The AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel is a three-dimensional radar used to alert and queue Short Range Air Defense weapons to the locations of hostile targets approaching their front line forces. The Sentinel radar is deployed with forward area air defense units of the U.S. Army and USMC. The radar uses an...

 radars. Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

's Kongsberg Company
Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace
Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace , one of two operating companies of Kongsberg Gruppen of Norway, is a supplier of defence and space related systems and products, mainly anti-ship missiles, military communications, and command and weapons control systems for naval vessels and air-defence applications...

 provides an FDC (Fire Distribution Center) as it is used in NASAM system in Norway. The missiles are upgraded MIM-23K standard with an improved blast-fragmentation warhead that creates a larger lethal zone. The system is also effective against short range tactical ballistic missiles.
A MPQ-61 HIPIR radar provides low altitude and local area radar coverage as well as continuous wave radar illumination for the MIM-23K Hawk missilles.

Description

The Hawk system consists of a large number of component elements. These elements were typically fitted on wheeled trailers making the system semi-mobile. During the system's 40-year life span, these components were continually upgraded.

The Hawk missile is transported and launched from the M192 towed triple-missile launcher. A self propelled Hawk launcher, the SP-Hawk, was fielded in 1969, which simply mounted the launcher on a tracked M727 (modified M548), however the project was dropped and all activity terminated in August 1971.

The missile is propelled by a dual thrust motor, with a boost phase and a sustain phase. The MIM-23A missiles were fitted with an M22E8 motor which burns for 25 to 32 seconds. The MIM-23B and later missiles are fitted with an M112 motor with a 5 second boost phase and a sustain phase of around 21 seconds. The M112 motor has greater thrust, thus increasing the engagement envelope.

The original MIM-23A missiles used a parabolic reflector, but the antenna directional focus was insufficient, when engaging low flying targets the missile would dive on them, only to lose them in the ground clutter. The MIM-23B I-Hawk missiles and later uses a low side lobe, high-gain plane antenna to reduce sensitivity to ground clutter in addition to an inverted receiver developed in the late 1960s to give the missile enhanced ECCM ability and to increase the Doppler frequency resolution.

A typical Basic Hawk battery consists of:
  • 1 × PAR: Pulse Acquisition Radar—a search radar with a 20 rpm rotation, for high/medium altitude target detection.
  • 1 × CWAR: Continuous Wave Acquisition Radar—a search doppler radar with a 20 rpm rotation, for low altitude target detection.
  • 2 × HPIR: High Power Illuminator doppler Radar—target tracking, illumination and missile guidance.
  • 1 × ROR: Range Only Radar—K-band pulse radar which provides range information when the other systems are jammed or unavailable.
  • 1 × ICC: Information Coordination Central
  • 1 × BCC: Battery Control Central
  • 1 × AFCC: Assault Fire Command Console—miniature battery control central for remote control of one firing section of the battery. The AFCC controls one CWAR, one HPI, and three launchers with a total of nine missiles.
  • 1 × PCP: Platoon Command Post
  • 2 × LCS: Launcher Section Controls
  • 6 × M-192: Launchers with 18 missiles.
  • 6 × SEA: Generators 56 kVA (400 Hz) each.
  • 12 × M-390: Missile transport pallets with 36 missiles
  • 3 × M-501: Missile loading tractors.
  • 1 × bucket loader
  • 1 × Missile test shop.


A typical Phase-III Hawk battery consists of:
  • 1 × PAR: Pulse Acquisition Radar—a search radar with a 20 (+/-2) rpm rotation, for high/medium altitude target detection.
  • 1 × CWAR: Continuous Wave Acquisition Radar—a search doppler radar with a 20 (+/-2) rpm rotation, for low altitude target detection.
  • 2 × HIPIR: HIgh Power Illuminator doppler Radar—target tracking, illumination and missile guidance.
  • 1 × FDC: Fire Distributuon Center
  • 1 × IFF: Identification Friend or Foe Transceiver
  • 6 × DLN: Digital Launchers with 18 missiles.
  • 6 × MEP-816: Generators 60KW (400 Hz) each.
  • 12 × M-390: Missile transport pallets with 36 missiles
  • 3 × M-501: Missile loading tractors.
  • 1 × bucket loader
  • 1 × Missile test shop.

Missiles

Type of Missile Entered
service
Tactical
model
Training and
Evaluation model
Prototype 1957 XM3
(XMIM-23A)
n/a
Basic Hawk 1959 (M3)
MIM-23A
XM16/18
(XMTM-23B/C)
Basic I-Hawk 1971
to
1978
MIM-23B XMEM-23B
Improved ECCM 1982 MIM-23C/D MEM-23C
Low-level/
multi-jamming
1990 MIM-23E/F MEM-23D
New body
section
early
1990s
MIM-23G/H MEM-23E
New warhead
and
fuzing (anti-TBM)
1995 MIM-23K/J MEM-23F
New fuzing only,
old warhead
1995 MIM-23L/M


The Hawk missile has a slender cylindrical body and four long chord clipped delta-wings, extending from mid-body to the slightly tapered boat-tail. Each wing has a trailing-edge control surface.
  • The MIM-23A is 5.08 metres (16.7 ft) long, has a body diameter of 0.37 metres (1.2 ft), a wing span of 1.21 metres (4 ft) and weighs 584 kilograms (1,287.5 lb) at launch with a 54 kilograms (119 lb) HE blast/fragmentation warhead. It has a minimum engagement range of 2 kilometres (1.2 mi), a maximum range of 25 kilometres (15.5 mi), a minimum engagement altitude of 60 metres (196.9 ft) and a maximum engagement altitude of 11000 metres (36,089.2 ft).
  • The MIM-23B to M versions are 5.03 m (16.5 ft) long, have a body diameter of 0.37 m (1.2 ft) and, with a larger warhead of 75 kg (11 lb), weighing 638 kg (1,406.5 lb) at launch. An improved motor, with a total weight of 395 kg (870.8 lb) including 295 kg (650.4 lb) of propellant, increases the maximum range of the MIM-23B to M versions to 35 km (21.7 mi) and maximum engagement altitude to 18000 m (59,055.1 ft). The minimum range is reduced to 1.5 km (0.93205910497471 mi). The MIM-23B has a peak velocity of around 500 m/s. The missile is fitted with both radio frequency proximity and impact fuses. The guidance system uses an X-band CW monopulse semi-active radar seeker
    Semi-active radar homing
    Semi-active radar homing, or SARH, is a common type of missile guidance system, perhaps the most common type for longer-range air-to-air and surface-to-air missile systems. The name refers to the fact that the missile itself is only a passive detector of a radar signal – provided by an external ...

    . The missile can maneuver at 15 g.

Basic Hawk: MIM-23A

The original missile used with the system. The 54 kilograms (119 lb) warhead produces approximately 4,000 8 gram (0.282191696840896 oz) fragments that move at approximately 2000 m/s in an 18 degree arc. http://milparade.udm.ru/security/28/060x.htm

I-Hawk: MIM-23B

The MIM-23B has a larger 74 kg (163.1 lb) blast-fragmentation warhead, a smaller and improved guidance package, and a new M112 rocket motor. The new warhead produces approximately 14,000 2 gram (0.0705479242102239 oz) fragments that cover a much larger 70 degree arc. The missiles M112 rocket motor has a boost phase of 5 seconds and a sustain phase of 21 seconds. The motors total weight is 395 kg (870.8 lb) including 295 kg (650.4 lb) of propellant. This new motor improves the engagement envelope to 1.5 kilometre in range at high altitude, and 2.5 kilometre at low altitude, the minimum engagement altitude is 60 metres (196.9 ft). The missile was operational in 1971. All US units had converted to this standard by 1978.
  • MTM-23B training missile.
  • XMEM-23B Full telemetry version for testing and evaluation purposes.

System components

The Hawk and Improved Hawk structure was integrated into one system - AN/TSQ-73 air defense missile control and coordination system, called Missile Minder or Hawk-MM. It consists of the following components: MPQ-50 Pulse Acquisition Radar, MPQ-48 Improved Continuous Wave Acquisition Radar, TSW-8 Battery Control Central, ICC Information Coordination Central, MSW-11 Platoon Command Post, MPQ-46 High Power Illuminator, MPQ-51 Range Only Radar and the M192 Launcher.

Improved ECCM

  • MIM-23C

Introduced around 1982 with improved ECCM capabilities.
  • MIM-23D

Unknown upgrade to the MIM-23C. The C and D missile families remained separate until the missiles' exit from service. It is not clear exactly what the difference between the two missiles - however it seems likely that the D family missiles represent an alternative guidance system, possibly home on jam developed in response to Soviet ECM techniques that were used by Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....

 during the Iran-Iraq War.

Low level/multi jamming
  • MIM-23E/F

An upgraded to the MIM-23C/D missiles improved guidance for low level engagements in a high clutter/multi-jamming environment. Introduced in 1990.

New body section
  • MIM-23G/H

A 1995 upgrade consisting of a new body section assembly for the MIM-23E/F missiles.

New warhead + fuzing (anti-TBM)
  • MIM-23K/J

Introduced around 1994. Enhanced lethality configuration warhead with 35 gram (540 grain) fragments instead of the I-Hawks 2 gram (30 grain) fragments. MIM-23K Hawk missiles are effective up to 20,000 m altitude and up to 45 km in range. The missile also includes a new fuse to make it effective against ballistic missiles.

New fuzing + old warhead
  • MIM-23L/M

Retains the I-Hawks 30 grain warhead, but with the new fuse.

Radars

The original Hawk system used 4 radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...

s: to detect (PAR and CWAR), to track (CWAR and HPIR) and to engage (HPIR and ROR) targets. As the system was upgraded the functionality of some of the radars was merged. The final iteration of the system consists of only 2 radars, an enhanced phased array search radar and an engagement radar (HPIR).
System Basic Hawk
1959
Improved Hawk
1971
PIP Phase I
1979
PIP Phase II
1983 to 1986
PIP Phase III
1989
Hawk XXI
PAR AN/MPQ-35 AN/MPQ-50 AN/MPQ-64
MPQ-64 Sentinel
The AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel is a three-dimensional radar used to alert and queue Short Range Air Defense weapons to the locations of hostile targets approaching their front line forces. The Sentinel radar is deployed with forward area air defense units of the U.S. Army and USMC. The radar uses an...

CWAR AN/MPQ-34 AN/MPQ-48 AN/MPQ-55 AN/MPQ-62
HPIR AN/MPQ-33/39 AN/MPQ-46 AN/MPQ-57 AN/MPQ-61
ROR AN/MPQ-37 AN/MPQ-51
none


PAR Pulse Acquisition Radar

The pulse acquisition radar is a long range, high altitude search radar.
  • AN/MPQ-35 (Basic Hawk)

The search radar used with the basic Hawk system, with a radar pulse power of 450 kW and a pulse length of 3 µs, a Pulse Repetition Frequency of 800 and 667 Hz alternately. The radar operates in the 1.25 to 1.35 GHz range. The antenna is a 6.7 metre elliptical reflector of open lattice construction, mounted on a small two-wheeled trailer. Rotation rate is 20 rpm, the BCC - Battery Control Central and the CWAR are synchronized by the PAR revolutions and the PAR system trigger.
  • AN/MPQ-50 (Improved Hawk to Phase III)

Introduced with the I-Hawk system, the improved-PAR. The system introduces a digital MTI (Moving Target Indicator) that helps separate targets from ground clutter. It operates in the 500 to 1,000 MHz (C-band) frequency range with a peak operating power of 1,000 watts.
  • Range (source Janes):
    • 104 km (64.6 mi) (high PRF) to 96 km (59.7 mi) (low PRF) versus 3 m² (3.6 sq yd) target.
    • 98 km (60.9 mi)(high PRF) to 90 km (55.9 mi) (low PRF) versus 2.4 m² (2.9 sq yd) target.
    • 79 km (49.1 mi) (high PRF) to 72 km (44.7 mi) (low PRF) versus 1 m² (1.2 sq yd) target.


  • AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel
    MPQ-64 Sentinel
    The AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel is a three-dimensional radar used to alert and queue Short Range Air Defense weapons to the locations of hostile targets approaching their front line forces. The Sentinel radar is deployed with forward area air defense units of the U.S. Army and USMC. The radar uses an...

     (Hawk XXI)

A X-Band 3D range-gated doppler radar
Doppler radar
A Doppler radar is a specialized radar that makes use of the Doppler effect to produce velocity data about objects at a distance. It does this by beaming a microwave signal towards a desired target and listening for its reflection, then analyzing how the frequency of the returned signal has been...

 system used with the Hawk XXI system. It replaces both the CWAR and PAR components of the Hawk system. MPQ-64 Sentinel provides coverage out to a range of 75 km (46.6 mi), rotating at 30 rpm. The system has a mean time between failure of around 600 hours, and can track at least 60 targets at once. It can elevate up to +55 degrees and depress to -10 degrees.

CWAR Continuous Wave Acquisition Radar

This X Band Continuous wave system is used to detect targets. The unit comes mounted on its own mobile trailer. The unit acquires targets through 360 degrees of azimuth while providing target radial speed and raw range data.
  • AN/MPQ-34 (Basic Hawk)

MPQ-34 Hawk CW Acquisition radar with a power rating of 200 W and a frequency of 10 GHz (X-Band) Built by Raytheon. Replaced by MPQ-48.
  • AN/MPQ-48 (Improved Hawk)

The Improved Hawk version of the CW acquisition radar doubled the output power and improved the detection ranges:
  • Range (source Janes):
    • 69 km (42.9 mi) (CW) to 63 km (39.1 mi) (FM) versus 3 m² (3.6 sq yd) target.
    • 65 km (40.4 mi) (CW) to 60 km (37.3 mi) (FM) versus 2.4 m² (2.9 sq yd) target.
    • 52 km (32.3 mi) (CW) to 48 km (29.8 mi) (FM) versus 1 m² (1.2 sq yd) target.
  • AN/MPQ-55 (Phase I - Phase II)

Hawk Improved Continuous Wave Acquisition Radar or ICWAR. The output power is doubled to 400 W, this increases the detection range to around 70 km (43.5 mi). The radar operates in the 10–20 GHz (J-band). Other features include FM ranging and BITE (Built in test equipment). Frequency modulation is applied to the broadcast on alternate scans of the ICWAR to obtain range information.
  • AN/MPQ-62 (Phase III)

Some changes to the signal processing allow the radar to determine the targets' range and speed in a single scan. A digital DSP system is added which allows a lot of the processing work to be done on the radar directly and forwarded directly via a serial digital link to the PCP/BCP.

HPIR High Power Illuminating Radar

The early AN/MPQ-46 High Power Illuminator (HPIR) radars had only the two large dish-type antennas side by side, one to transmit and one to receive. The HPIR automatically acquires and tracks designated targets in azimuth, elevation and range. It also serves as an interface unit supplying azimuth and elevation launch angles computed by the Automatic Data Processor (ADP) in the Information Coordination Centre (ICC) to the IBCC or the Improved Platoon Command Post (IPCP) for up to three launchers. The HPIR J-band energy reflected from the target is also received by the Hawk missile. These returns are compared with the missile reference signal being transmitted directly to the missile by the HPIR. Target tracking is continued throughout the missile's flight. After the missile intercepts the target the HPIR Doppler data is used for kill evaluation. The HPIR receives target designations from one or both surveillance radars via the Battery Control Centre (BCC) and automatically searches a given sector for a rapid target lock on. The HPIR incorporates ECCM and BITE.
  • AN/MPQ-33/39 (Basic Hawk)

This X Band CW System is used to illuminate targets in the Hawk Missile Battery. The unit comes mounted on its own mobile trailer. Unit automatically acquires and tracks designated targets in azimuth elevation and range rate. The system has an output power of around 125 W operating in the 10-10.25 GHz band. MPQ-39 was an upgraded version of the MPQ-33.
  • AN/MPQ-46 (Improved Hawk - Phase I)

The radar operates in the 10–20 GHz (J-band) region. Many of the electron tube components in earlier radars are replaced with solid-state technology.
  • Range (source Janes):
    • 99 km (61.5 mi) (high PRF) to 93 km (57.8 mi) (low PRF) versus 3 m² (3.6 sq yd) target.
    • 93 km (57.8 mi) (high PRF) to 89 km (55.3 mi) (low PRF) versus 2.4 m² (2.9 sq yd) target.
    • 75 km (46.6 mi) (high PRF) to 72 km (44.7 mi) (low PRF) versus 1 m² (1.2 sq yd) target.
  • AN/MPQ-57 (Phase II)

The majority of the remaining tube electronics are upgraded to solid state. Also, an electro-optical tracking system, the daytime only OD-179/TVY TAS (Tracking Adjunct System) is added for operation in a high ECM environement. The TAS was developed from the US Air Forces TISEO (Target Identification System, Electro-Optical) by Northrop. It consists of a video camera with a x10 zoom lens. The I-TAS which was field tested in 1992 added an Infra Red capability for night operation as well as automatic target detection and tracking.
  • HEOS Germany, Netherlands and Norway modified their Hawk systems with an alternative IR acquisition and tracking system known as the Hawk Electro-Optical Sensor (HEOS) in place of the TAS. HEOS operates in the 8 to 11 µm band and is used to supplement the HPI to acquire and track targets before missile launch.
  • AN/MPQ-61 (Phase III)

Upgraded with the addition of the LASHE (Low-Altitude Simutaneous Hawk Engagement) system, which allows the Hawk to engage multiple low level targets by employing a fan beam antenna to provide a wide-angle, low-altitude illumination pattern to allow multiple engagements against saturation raids. This antenna is rectangular. This allows up to 12 targets to be engaged at once. There is also TV/IR optic system for passive missile guidance.

ROR Range Only Radar

Pulse radar that automatically comes into operation if the HPIR radar cannot determine the range, typically because of jamming. The ROR is difficult to jam because it operates only briefly during the engagement, and only in the presence of jamming.
  • AN/MPQ-37 (Basic Hawk)

  • AN/MPQ-51 (Improved Hawk - Phase II)

A Ku Band (Freq: 15.5-17.5 GHz) pulse radar, the power output was 120 kW. Pulse length 0.6 µs at a pulse repetition frequency of 1600 Hz. Antenna: 4 feet (1.2 m) dish.
  • Range
    • 83 km (51.6 mi) versus 3 m² (3.6 sq yd) target.
    • 78 km (48.5 mi) versus 2.4 m² (2.9 sq yd) target.
    • 63 km (39.1 mi) versus 1 m² (1.2 sq yd) target.


FDC (Hawk Phase III and Hawk XXI) - Fire Distribution Center. C4I unit, enabling modern command, control, communications and Force Operation. Color displays with 3D map overlays enhance the situation awareness. Instriduces the real-time exchange of air picture and commands between the Hawk units. Make-ready capability for SL-AMRAAM and SHORAD/vSHORAD systems.

Country specific modifications

  • Israel

The Israelis have upgraded the Phase 2 standard with the addition of a Super Eye electro-optical TV system for detection of aircraft at 30 to 40 km and identification at 17 to 25 km. They have also modified their system for engagements at altitudes up to 24,000 m.
  • Sparrow Hawk

A composite system firing AIM-7 Sparrow
AIM-7 Sparrow
The AIM-7 Sparrow is an American, medium-range semi-active radar homing air-to-air missile operated by the United States Air Force, United States Navy and United States Marine Corps, as well as various allied air forces and navies. Sparrow and its derivatives were the West's principal beyond visual...

 missiles from a modified 8 round launcher. The system was demonstrated at the China Lake weapons test site in 1985. There are currently no users of the system.
  • Hawk AMRAAM

At "Safe Air 95" AMRAAM
AIM-120 AMRAAM
The AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, or AMRAAM , is a modern beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile capable of all-weather day-and-night operations. Designed with the same form-factor as the previous generation of semi-active guided Sparrow missiles, it is a fire-and-forget...

 missiles were demonstrated being fired from a modified M192 missile launcher. The normal battery radar is used for the engagement, with the missile's own radar used for terminal homing. Raytheon and Kongsberg are offering this system as an upgrade to the existing Hawk system. This proposal is aimed particularly at Hawk operating countries that also have AIM-120 AMRAAM in their inventory. Norway is currently operating this type of system as NASAMS
NASAMS
NASAMS is a distributed and networked medium to long range air-defence system. NASAMS was the first surface-based application for the AIM-120 AMRAAM and the first surface-to-air missile system in the western world with active radar guidance...

.
  • Iran

The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force
Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force
The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force ' is the aviation branch of the Iranian armed forces. The present Air Force came into being in the early 1980s when the former Imperial Iranian Air Force was renamed....

 is reported to have experimented with a number of MIM-23 Hawk missiles for carriage on F-14 Tomcat
F-14 Tomcat
The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental program following the collapse of the F-111B project...

 fighters in the air-to-air role under a program known as SKY Hawk. Iran has also modified its ground-based Hawk systems for carriage on a convoy of 8x8 wheeled vehicles and adapted the launchers to carry Standard RIM-66
RIM-66 Standard
The RIM-66 Standard MR is a medium range surface-to-air missile originally developed for the United States Navy . The SM-1 was developed as a replacement for the RIM-2 Terrier and RIM-24 Tartar that were deployed in the 1950s on a variety of USN ships...

 or AGM-78
AGM-78 Standard ARM
The AGM-78 Standard ARM was an anti-radiation missile developed by General Dynamics, United States of America.-Overview:Originally developed for the US Navy during the late 1960s, the AGM-78 was created in large part because of the limitations of the AGM-45 Shrike, which suffered from a small...

 missiles with two Standard missiles per launcher.

The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force had recently revealed its own version of the MIM-23 Hawk the Shahin which it claims to be under production. In 2010 Iran announced that it will be mass producing its next generation of air defense system called Mersad
Mersad
Mersad is an Iranian advanced low to mid range Air defense system developed in 2010. It fires Shahin missiles which are reverse engineered, domestically upgraded versions of the American MIM-23 Hawk Surface-to-air missiles...

 which would integrate with the Shahin missile.
  • Norway

Norway has developed its own Hawk upgrade scheme known as the Norwegian Adapted Hawk (NOAH) which involves the lease of I-Hawk launchers, HPI radars and missile loaders from the USA and their integration with Hughes (now Raytheon) Kongsberg Acquisition Radar and Control Systems. The NOAH system became operational in 1988. It was replaced by NASAMS
NASAMS
NASAMS is a distributed and networked medium to long range air-defence system. NASAMS was the first surface-based application for the AIM-120 AMRAAM and the first surface-to-air missile system in the western world with active radar guidance...

 in the period 1995-1998.
  • ACWAR

Future developments were expected to include the introduction of an Agile CW Acquisition Radar (ACWAR), which is an evolution of the Hawk CW radar technology. It would perform full 3-D target acquisition over a 360° azimuth sector and large elevation angles. The ACWAR programme was initiated to meet increasingly severe tactical air defence requirements and the equipment is being designed for operation of Hawk in the late 1990s and beyond. However, the ACWAR programme was terminated in 1993.

History

  • August 1962 agreement in principle was reached between the US and Israeli governments for the sale of Hawk missiles to Israel.
  • October - November 1962 the Cuban Missile Crisis
    Cuban Missile Crisis
    The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...

     necessitates a request for a total of 304 missiles to be delivered at an average turnaround of 3 days per missile.
  • February - March 1965 the United States Marine Corps
    United States Marine Corps
    The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

     gets interested in the Hawk, placing them at Da Nang
    Da Nang
    Đà Nẵng , occasionally Danang, is a major port city in the South Central Coast of Vietnam, on the coast of the South China Sea at the mouth of the Han River. It is the commercial and educational center of Central Vietnam; its well-sheltered, easily accessible port and its location on the path of...

     and Hill 327, which was west of Da Nang airbase. This was both the first USMC deployment of the Hawk, and also the first deployment of the Hawk in Vietnam
    Vietnam
    Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...

    .
  • March 1965 the first Hawk battalion was deployed to Israel.
  • June 5, 1967 In an unusual incident an Israeli MIM-23A shot down a damaged Israeli Dassault MD.450 Ouragan
    Dassault Ouragan
    The Dassault M.D.450 Ouragan was the first French-designed jet fighter-bomber to enter production, playing a key role in resurgence of the French aviation industry after World War II. The Ouragan was operated by France, Israel, India and El Salvador...

     that was in danger of crashing into the Negev Nuclear Research Center
    Negev Nuclear Research Center
    The Negev Nuclear Research Center is an Israeli nuclear installation located in the Negev desert, about thirteen kilometers to the south-east of the city of Dimona. The purpose of Dimona is widely assumed to be the manufacturing of nuclear weapons, and the majority of defense experts have...

     near Dimona
    Dimona
    Dimona is an Israeli city in the Negev desert, to the south of Beersheba and west of the Dead Sea above the Arava valley in the Southern District of Israel. Its population at the end of 2007 was 33,600.-History:...

    , the first combat firing of the Hawk, the first combat kill attributed to the Hawk system http://www.redstone.army.mil/history/systems/Hawk.html.
  • March 21, 1969 Before noon, a new Hawk battery, which was deployed at Baluza, north of the town of Kantara in the Sinai region detected an Egyptian MiG-21 aircraft which took off from Port-said airport. The controller, Yair Tamir, tracked the aircraft on the radar, in its flight from north to south along the Suez canal, and when the MiG-21 broke to a course heading towards the Hawk battery, a missile was launched at it, which successfully destroyed the aircraft while it was flying at an altitude of 6,700 m. http://www.israeli-weapons.com/weapons/missile_systems/surface_missiles/hawk/Hawk.htm. During the War of Attrition, Hawk batteries had shot down between 8 and 12 aircraft http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_55.shtml; Janes reports 12 kills as 1 Il-28
    Ilyushin Il-28
    The Ilyushin Il-28 is a jet bomber aircraft of the immediate postwar period that was originally manufactured for the Soviet Air Force. It was the USSR's first such aircraft to enter large-scale production. It was also licence-built in China as the Harbin H-5. Total production in the USSR was 6,316...

    , 4 Su-7, 4 MiG-17 and 3 MiG-21.
  • May 1972, Improved Hawk support equipment was first deployed to Germany.
  • October 1973 Yom Kippur war
    Yom Kippur War
    The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War , also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, was fought from October 6 to 25, 1973, between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria...

     75 Israeli missiles were fired downing between 12 and 24 aircraft and one oil well on fire in Abu-Rodes oil field.
  • 1977 Conversion of Basic Hawk to Improved Hawk was completed by all US Army units in Europe and Korea by the end of the year.
  • 1980s
    • Kuwait
      Kuwait
      The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...

      , 1 kill of an Iranian F-5
      F-5 Freedom Fighter
      The Northrop F-5A/B Freedom Fighter and the F-5E/F Tiger II are part of a family of widely-used light supersonic fighter aircraft, designed and built by Northrop...

       during the Iran-Iraq War
      Iran-Iraq War
      The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between the armed forces of Iraq and Iran, lasting from September 1980 to August 1988, making it the longest conventional war of the twentieth century...

      .
    • Iran, at least 40 Iraqi aircraft destroyed during the Iran-Iraq War
      Iran-Iraq War
      The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between the armed forces of Iraq and Iran, lasting from September 1980 to August 1988, making it the longest conventional war of the twentieth century...

      .
  • March 1985 DA and the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) approved the development of an anti-tactical missile (ATM) mission for Hawk.
  • February 12, 1986, 9 Iraqi aircraft downed by a Hawk site near al-Faw in southern Iraq during Operation Dawn 8
    Operation Dawn 8
    Operation Dawn 8 was an Iranian military operation conducted in the Iran–Iraq War of 1980-1988.The Iranian operation is considered to be one of Iran's greatest achievements in the Iran–Iraq War. The Iranians were able to capture the Fao Peninsula, cutting off Iraqi access to the Persian Gulf in...

    . Among the aircraft, are Su-22 and MiG-23s.
  • September 7, 1987, French Army, 402nd Air Defence Regiment, in Chad
    Chad
    Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...

    , shot down a Libya
    Libya
    Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....

    n Tu-22B on a bombing mission with an MIM-23B during the Chadian-Libyan war. The particularity of this event is with its geographical situation, a few miles from a border. The attack began outside the Chadian territory proper and left the French with only a very small window of opportunity to shoot the intruder. The interception took place almost at the vertical of the battery. Debris and unexploded bombs from the Tu-22 rained over the position and injured no one.
  • August 2, 1990, Hawk missiles defending Kuwait against the Iraqi invasion in August 1990 are claimed to have shot down up to 14 Iraqi aircraft. Only two kills have been verified a MiG-23BN and a Su-22. Iraqi forces captured four or five Kuwaiti Hawk batteries.
  • November 1990, Task Force Scorpion, a U.S. Army Hawk-Patriot electronic task force, becomes operational and assumes the air defense mission for Desert Shield units forming up in Saudi Arabia.
  • February 1991, Bravo Battery, 2-1 ADA moves into Iraq and establishes Hawk missile sites near as-Salman.
  • A SAFE AIR demonstration was conducted at WSMR to display the effectiveness and versatility of several existing and new United States Army weapon systems in providing air and surface defense. Emphasis was placed on defeating cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The Hawk system successfully engaged two surrogate cruise missiles, one UAV, and one fixed wing drone.
  • The United States Marine Corps successfully tested its Hawk Mobility and theater missile defense (TMD) software upgrades at White Sands Missile Range. Hawk acquired the three LANCE targets, two of which were successfully engaged and destroyed. This was the first time the entire USMC ATBM system had been tested.

Operators

Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...

 Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

 Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

 France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

 Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

 - 150 launchers. Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

 Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...

 Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 - (phased out in 1998) Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...

 Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

 Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...

 (Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

) Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

 UAE USA - (phased out)

Phase II
These countries have implemented Phase 1 and Phase 2 improvements. Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 - (phased out and sold to Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

) Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

 - (Phased out) France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 - (phased out in 2005) Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

 Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 USA - (phased out)

Phase III Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

 France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

 Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

 Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...

 Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 - (Phased out and sold to Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...

) Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...

 Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

 Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...

 (Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

) UAE US Marine Corps - (phased out of US service in 2002)

Hawk XXI Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...

 Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

 Romanian Air Force
Romanian Air Force
The Romanian Air Force is the air force branch of the Romanian Armed Forces. It has an air force headquarters, an operational command, four air bases and an air defense brigade...

 Republic of Korea
- 24 batteries

See also

  • Surface-to-air missile
    Surface-to-air missile
    A surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles...

  • SA-3 Goa
    S-125
    The Isayev S-125 Neva/Pechora Soviet surface-to-air missile system was designed to complement the S-25 and S-75. It has a shorter effective range and lower engagement altitude than either of its predecessors and also flies slower, but due to its two-stage design it is more effective against more...

     Soviet low-altitude missile system
  • SA-6 Gainful
    SA-6 Gainful
    The 2K12 "Kub" mobile surface-to-air missile system is a Soviet low to medium-level air defence system designed to protect ground forces from air attack. "2К12" is the GRAU designation of the system...

     advanced Soviet mobile low-altitude missile system
  • The Iran-Contra affair
    Iran-Contra Affair
    The Iran–Contra affair , also referred to as Irangate, Contragate or Iran-Contra-Gate, was a political scandal in the United States that came to light in November 1986. During the Reagan administration, senior Reagan administration officials and President Reagan secretly facilitated the sale of...

    , in which MIM-23 missiles were offered to Iran.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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