Spain Trains Ukrainian Military on the Hawk Air Defence System
The Ukrainian military has launched training in Spain on use and maintenance of MIM-23 Hawk surface-to-air missile systems.
This information is reported by the official page of the Ministry of Defense of Spain.
According to the Ministry's announcement, the training for 'several dozen' Ukrainian military personnel will be conducted by the 74th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment of Spain.
It is noted that the training course to be held in Dos Hermanas, will include theoretical and practical sessions to help Ukrainians quickly master the anti-aircraft missile systems.
"This is in response to the needs expressed by the Ukrainian government to enhance anti-air defense capabilities in face of a serious threat posed by enemy means of attack, be it aircraft, missiles, or drones. HAWK has proven to be very effective, especially against them, as repeatedly stated by the Ukrainian authorities, thanks to Spain for both providing such means and conducting training for personnel," the announcement emphasizes.
Recall that in early September, as part of the III Summit of the European Political Community, Spain declared its decision to transfer six launchers for Hawk air defence systems to Ukraine.
"The Spanish government will provide Ukraine with six launchers for Hawk to counter possible Russian bombings of civilian objects and critical infrastructure, as well as to protect the new grain corridor," the Spanish Ministry of Defense said in the statement.
For the first time, Spain transferred complexes of this type to Ukraine in December last year. In total, the Spanish government pledged to transfer 12 such launchers to the Ukrainian military.
Anti-air defense is critically important for protecting against the genocidal, expansionist war that Russia is waging in Ukraine. After all, the Russian army continues to regularly attack the country's critical infrastructure, civilian buildings, and UNESCO-protected architectural monuments.
Thus, on November 5, Russian forces once again struck Odesa, Ukraine, with missiles and drones, damaging 32 residential buildings and six architectural monuments, including the 124-year-old National Art Museum.