MIM-23 Hawk - Country Specific Modifications

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 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 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.

• Iran

The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force is reported to have experimented with a number of MIM-23 Hawk missiles for carriage on F-14 Tomcat 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 or AGM-78 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 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 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.