CORRECTED-UPDATE 1-US to sell to Ukraine $138 million in HAWK air defense upgrades

(Changes source of funds in 5th paragraph from 2025 NDAA to 2022 AUSAA)

By Mike Stone

WASHINGTON, April 9 (Reuters) - The United States will sell Ukraine up to $138 million worth of equipment to maintain and upgrade its HAWK air defense systems to help defend against Russian drone and cruise missile attacks, a U.S. State Department official told Reuters on Tuesday.

The U.S. began shipping HAWK interceptor missiles to Ukraine in 2022 as an upgrade to the shoulder-launched Stinger air defense missile systems - a smaller, shorter-range system.

Since then, Ukraine has received several air defense systems, including the U.S.-made Patriot system.

Tuesday's emergency foreign military sale is worth as much as $138 million, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Ukraine has run out of many sources of U.S. funds as Congress works to pass a supplemental funding bill that includes aid for Kyiv Israel and Taiwan. Funding for this upgrade came from a previous supplemental funding package - the 2022 Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, a second person familiar with the situation said. Tuesday's package includes engineering and integration for communications and refurbishment of HAWK fire units.

In addition, the sale includes missile recertification components for older units, tools, test and support equipment, spare parts and more.

The sale will require temporary-duty travel to Europe of an estimated five U.S. government employees and 15 contractor representatives to support training and sustainment, the official said.

Presidential drawdown authority had been used previously to transfer HAWK equipment to Ukraine. That provision allows the United States to transfer defense articles and services from American stocks quickly without congressional approval in response to an emergency.

The MIM-23 HAWK - a name that began life as an acronym for "Homing All the Way Killer" - was first introduced in the 1950s as the U.S. military sought ways to defeat raids by high-flying strategic bombers. It was upgraded over the years to deal with jamming and other countermeasures, and eventually exported to more than a dozen countries, according the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command. (Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington; Editing by Leslie Adler and Jonathan Oatis)