(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — The United States is said to be “desperate” to find more weapons to supply to Ukraine for use against Russian forces, to the extent that it is willing to purchase decommissioned weapons from user countries and send them to Eastern Europe.
The latest report states that Washington is set to purchase a newly decommissioned air defense system from Taiwan, which has been in service for 63 years, and send it to Ukraine as part of the American military aid package to the Eastern European country.
According to media reports from Taiwan, the newly decommissioned Phase III MIM-23 Hawk (Homing All The Way Killer) air defense system will be sold to the United States.
The sale of this air defense system is the result of negotiations between Taiwan and the United States that began last year.
The United States plans to use the newly decommissioned air defense system from Taiwan to deal with unmanned aerial vehicles and low-altitude Russian aircraft in Ukraine.
Not only has Taiwan been asked to sell decommissioned weapons, but Washington has also requested its other allies, such as Israel and Spain, to do the same.
Israel and Spain are also reported to be selling their Hawk air defense systems to the United States as part of Washington’s military aid package to Kiev.
Spain reportedly sent its Hawk air defense system to Ukraine at the end of last year.
According to the Ministry of Defense of Taiwan, decommissioned weapons will be disposed of according to the military regulations of the island nation.
According to regulations, surplus weapons in the inventory of the country’s military cannot be sold unless under “specific conditions” and with approval from the Ministry of Defense of Taiwan.
The Hawk air defense system entered the inventory of the Taiwanese military in 1960.
The medium-range Hawk air defense system was developed by defense firms Raytheon and RTX and entered service with the United States military in 1959, replacing the “Nike” air defense system.
In 1971, the capabilities of the Hawk air defense system were enhanced and it became known as Improved-Hawk or I-Hawk, continuing to serve the U.S. military until the Patriot air defense system entered service in 1994.
The U.S. Marine Corps used the Hawk air defense system until 2002.
Among ASEAN countries, Singapore and Thailand are two nations that use the Hawk air defense system, but its current status is unknown.
Recently, Raytheon was reported to have called back retired engineers to resume the production of the “Stinger” guided missile system, which had been discontinued for 20 years, due to high demand resulting from the conflict in Ukraine.
Raytheon’s president, Wes Kremer, stated during the Paris Air Show that the Stinger missile suddenly became a “star” in Ukraine within 48 hours of the conflict erupting, and everyone in Ukraine wanted to have the Stinger missile.
According to reports, Raytheon’s experience is another example of a defense company having to restart the production of a long-unused defense system by the U.S. Department of Defense, solely to meet the high demand in Ukraine.
As of now, the U.S. administration has sent more than 2,000 Stinger guided missile systems to Ukraine to shoot down fighter jets, helicopters, and drones belonging to Russia. — DSA
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