British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who visited Kyiv on January 16, announced that Ukraine would soon receive additional military aid, including weaponry and direct financial support amounting to £4.5 billion (€5.34 billion).
However, among the weapon systems announced for Ukraine, one particular air defense system caused some confusion. Many Ukrainian media outlets initially reported the system's name as "Grateful." The correct name, Gravehawk.
Read more: The UK to Supply Ukraine with Artillery and the Gravehawk Mobile Air Defense System
The actual name is Gravehawk, as confirmed by the text version of Keir Starmer's statement, which was published by the UK government. The statement specifies that the Gravehawk system was developed by the United Kingdom, with funding from both the British and Danish governments.
"The innovative system, approximately the size of a shipping container, is equipped with air-to-air missiles repurposed for air defense, meaning it can use Ukrainian missiles already in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine... Two prototypes of this system were tested in Ukraine in September, and 15 more will be delivered over the course of the year," the statement reads.
At the same time, no public information about the Gravehawk air defense system was available until recently. However, in August 2023, British media reported that Ukraine had received several new air defense systems that use AIM-132 ASRAAM air-to-air missiles, mounted on SupaCat truck chassis.
In October, the first official video from the Ukrainian Air Force appeared, showing the operation of an unnamed air defense system with these missiles. However, since the video was filmed at night, it was difficult to fully identify the system. In February 2024, a higher-quality video shot during the day was made public, showing the same system mounted on a SupaCat chassis.
Currently, everything points to the fact that this air defense system is, in fact, the Gravehawk. As for the possibility of using Ukrainian missiles with the system, this seems entirely feasible, as the AIM-132 ASRAAM is equipped with an infrared homing seeker. Therefore, the system's task may be to simply direct the missile toward the target and wait for it to autonomously lock onto the target. Additionally, the launch range of this missile from the ground is likely to be in the range of 10-15 km (while its launch range from an aircraft is 25 km).
The Ukrainian missile that could be integrated into the Gravehawk is likely the R-73, which is already used in the Osa air defense system. The R-73 is also employed on the Magura V5 marine drones, which have successfully used it to engage and destroy russian helicopters.
Read more: Update: Ukrainian Magura Naval Drones Destroyed Two russian Helicopters in the Black Sea Operation
