MIM-23 Hawk


The Raytheon []MIM-23 HAWK is an American medium-range surface-to-air missile. It was designed to be a much more mobile counterpart to the MIM-14 Nike Hercules, trading off range and altitude capability for a much smaller size and weight. Its low-level performance was greatly improved over Nike through the adoption of new radars and a continuous wave semi-active radar homing guidance system. It entered service with the US Army in 1959.
In 1971, it underwent a major improvement program as the Improved Hawk, or I-Hawk, which made several improvements to the missile and replaced all of the radar systems with new models. Improvements continued throughout the next twenty years, adding improved ECCM, a potential home-on-jam feature, and in 1995, a new warhead that made it capable against short-range tactical ballistic missiles. Jane's reported that the original system's single shot kill probability was 0.56; I-Hawk improved this to 0.85.
Hawk was superseded by the MIM-104 Patriot in US Army service by 1994. The last US user was the US Marine Corps, who used theirs until 2002 when they were replaced with the man-portable short-range FIM-92 Stinger. The missile was also produced outside the US in Western Europe, Japan and Iran. The US never used the Hawk in combat, but it has been employed numerous times by other nations. Approximately 40,000 of the missiles were produced.

Development

Development of the Hawk missile system began in 1952, when the United States Army began studies into a medium-range semi-active radar homing surface-to-air missile. In July 1954, development contracts were awarded to Northrop for the launcher, radars and fire control systems, while Raytheon was awarded the contract for the missile. The first test launch of the missile then designated the XSAM-A-18 happened in June 1956.
By July 1957, development was completed, by which time the designation had changed to XM3 and XM3E1. Very early missiles used the Aerojet M22E7 which was not reliable. The problems were resolved with the adoption of the M22E8 engine.
The missile was initially deployed by the US Army in 1959, and by the US Marine Corps in 1960.
The high complexity of the system, and the quality of tube-based electronics, gave the radars in the early Hawk systems a mean time between failures of only 43 hours. The improved Hawk system increased this to between 130 and 170 hours. Later Hawk versions improved this further to between 300 and 400 hours.
Improved Hawk or I-Hawk
The original Hawk system had problems engaging targets at low altitude—the missile would have problems picking the target out against ground clutter. The US Army began a program to address these issues in 1964 via the Hawk Improvement Program. This involved numerous upgrades to the Hawk system:
  • A digital data processing central information coordinator for target processing, threat ordering, and intercept evaluation.
  • An improved missile with a larger warhead, smaller and more powerful M112 motor, and improved guidance section.
  • The PAR, CWAR, HPIR, and ROR were replaced by upgraded variants.
The system entered service during 1972, the first unit reaching operational status by October. All US units were upgraded to I-Hawk standard by 1978.
Product Improvement Plan
In 1973 the US Army started an extensive multi-phase Hawk PIP, mainly intended to improve and upgrade the numerous items of ground equipment.
  • Phase I
  • : Phase I involved replacement of the CWAR with the AN/MPQ-55 Improved CWAR, and the upgrade of the AN/MPQ-50 PAR to Improved PAR configuration by the addition of a digital MTI. The first PIP Phase I systems were fielded between 1979 and 1981.
  • Phase II
  • : Developed from 1978 and fielded between 1983 and 1986. upgraded the AN/MPQ-46 HPI to AN/MPQ-57 standard by replacing some of the vacuum tube based electronics with modern solid-state circuits, and added an optical TAS. The TAS, designated OD-179/TVY, is an electro-optical tracking system that increases Hawk operability and survivability in a high-ECM environment.
  • Phase III
  • : The PIP Phase III development was started in 1983, and was first fielded by U.S. forces in 1989. Phase III was a major upgrade which significantly enhanced the computer hardware and software for most components of the system, a new CWAR the AN/MPQ-62, added single-scan target detection capability, and upgraded the HPI to AN/MPQ-61 standard by addition of a Low-Altitude Simultaneous Hawk Engagement system. LASHE allows the Hawk system to counter saturation attacks by simultaneously intercepting multiple low-level targets. The ROR was phased out in Phase III Hawk units.
Hawk Missile Restore Reliability
Hawk ECCM
Low clutter enhancements
Hawk missile ILM
Hawk mobility and TMD upgrades
Phase IV
'''Hawk XXI '''

Description

The Hawk system consists of a large number of component elements. These elements were typically fitted on wheeled trailers making the system semi-mobile. During the system's 40-year life span, these components were continually upgraded.
The Hawk missile is transported and launched from the M192 towed triple-missile launcher. A self-propelled Hawk launcher, the SP-Hawk, was fielded in 1969, which simply mounted the launcher on a tracked M727, however the project was dropped and all activity terminated in August 1971.
The missile is propelled by a dual thrust motor, with a boost phase and a sustain phase. The MIM-23A missiles were fitted with an M22E8 motor which burns for 25 to 32 seconds. The MIM-23B and later missiles are fitted with an M112 motor with a 5-second boost phase and a sustain phase of around 21 seconds. The M112 motor has greater thrust, thus increasing the engagement envelope.
The original MIM-23A missiles used a parabolic reflector, but the antenna directional focus was insufficient, when engaging low-flying targets the missile would dive on them, only to lose them in the ground clutter. The MIM-23B I-Hawk missiles and later uses a low side lobe, high-gain plane antenna to reduce sensitivity to ground clutter in addition to an inverted receiver developed in the late 1960s to give the missile enhanced ECCM ability and to increase the Doppler frequency resolution.
A typical Basic Hawk battery consists of:
  • 1 × PAR: Pulse Acquisition Radar—a search radar with a 20 rpm rotation, for high/medium altitude target detection.
  • 1 × CWAR: Continuous Wave Acquisition Radar—a search doppler radar with a 20 rpm rotation, for low altitude target detection.
  • 2 × HPIR: High Power Illuminator doppler Radar—target tracking, illumination and missile guidance.
  • 1 × ROR: Range Only Radar—K-band pulse radar which provides range information when the other systems are jammed or unavailable.
  • 1 × ICC: Information Coordination Central
  • 1 × BCC: Battery Control Central
  • 1 × AFCC: Assault Fire Command Console—miniature battery control central for remote control of one firing section of the battery. The AFCC controls one CWAR, one HPI, and three launchers with a total of nine missiles.
  • 1 × PCP: Platoon Command Post
  • 2 × LCS: Launcher Section Controls
  • 6 × M-192: Launchers with 18 missiles.
  • 6 × SEA: Generators 56 kVA each.
  • 12 × M-390: Missile transport pallets with 36 missiles
  • 3 × M-501: Missile loading tractors.
  • 1 ×
  • 1 × Missile test shop AN/MSM-43.
A typical Phase-III Hawk battery consists of:
  • 1 × PAR: Pulse Acquisition Radar—a search radar with a 20 rpm rotation, for high/medium altitude target detection.
  • 1 × CWAR: Continuous Wave Acquisition Radar—a search doppler radar with a 20 rpm rotation, for low altitude target detection.
  • 2 × HIPIR: HIgh Power Illuminator doppler Radar—target tracking, illumination and missile guidance.
  • 1 × FDC: Fire Direction Center
  • 1 × IFF: Identification Friend or Foe Transceiver
  • 6 × DLN: Digital Launchers with 18 missiles.
  • 6 × MEP-816: Generators 60 KW each.
  • 12 × M-390: Missile transport pallets with 36 missiles
  • 3 × M-501: Missile loading tractors.
  • 1 ×

    Missiles

The Hawk missile has a slender cylindrical body and four long chord clipped delta-wings, extending from mid-body to the slightly tapered boat-tail. Each wing has a trailing-edge control surface.
  • The MIM-23A is long, has a body diameter of, a wing span of and weighs at launch with a HE blast/fragmentation warhead. It has a minimum engagement range of, a maximum range of, a minimum engagement altitude of and a maximum engagement altitude of.
  • The MIM-23B to M versions are long, have a body diameter of and, with a larger warhead of, weighing at launch. An improved motor, with a total weight of including of propellant, increases the maximum range of the MIM-23B to M versions to and maximum engagement altitude to. The minimum range is reduced to. The MIM-23B has a peak velocity of around. The missile is fitted with both radio frequency proximity and impact fuses. The guidance system uses an X-band CW monopulse semi-active radar seeker. The missile can maneuver at 15 g.
In the 1970s, NASA used surplus Hawk missiles to create the Nike Hawk sounding rocket.

Basic Hawk: MIM-23A

The original missile used with the system. The warhead produces approximately 4,000 fragments that move at approximately in an 18 degree arc.

I-Hawk: MIM-23B

The MIM-23B has a larger blast-fragmentation warhead, a smaller and improved guidance package, and a new M112 rocket motor. The new warhead produces approximately 14,000 fragments that cover a much larger 70 degree arc. The missile's M112 rocket motor has a boost phase of 5 seconds and a sustain phase of 21 seconds.
The motor's total weight is including of propellant. This new motor improves the engagement envelope to in range at high altitude, and at low altitude. The minimum engagement altitude is. The missile was operational in 1971. All US units had converted to this standard by 1978.
  • MTM-23B training missile.
  • XMEM-23B Full telemetry version for testing and evaluation purposes.