US to sell to Ukraine $138 million in HAWK air defense upgrades

FILE PHOTO: Soldiers from an Italian army anti-aircraft artillery regiment check a HAWK missile launcher guarding the Torino 2006 Winter Olympic Games near Turin, Italy February 24, 2006. REUTERS/Chris Helgren/File Photo

WASHINGTON (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.