Ukraine awaits US deliveries of Switchblade 600 drones – Reznikov

Ukraine is waiting for deliveries of Switchblade 600 drones from the United States, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said in an interview with Politico.

"We are still waiting for the Switchblade 600” drones, which the U.S. has promised to help Kyiv boost its stock of loitering munitions that can hover over a target before an operator guides it to impact," he said.

The drone's maker, AeroVironment, said this month the first shipment of ten drones should arrive within weeks. He notes that Iran has sold 2,400 drones to Russia in recent weeks, so "for this moment, I would say that Iranian drones temporarily win this competition," Reznikov said.

While tanks and fighter planes remain a work in progress, air defenses will continue to be "priority number one" in the coming months, he said.

"We need to divide the targets in the air — for example, to strike cruise or ballistic missiles our defense systems will use … rockets like IRIS-T from Germany and [soon] there will also be [the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System], or our Soviet systems like Buk. Against the Iranian drones we can use cheaper equipment like Gepard from Germany or Stingers and Starstreak, or other equipment from our partners," he said.

Strengthening this protective cover over Kyiv and other cities remains a top priority for Ukrainian authorities as missiles and drones continue to arrive. "That's why we ask our partners to find the solutions with different systems not only for the middle-range or long-range, we need short-range systems [from] different countries that have those systems like Sweden, Germany and the United States," Reznikov said.

While the needs are large and continuing, Reznikov said the constant stream of meetings and calls with allies gives his government confidence that aid will keep flowing, even as Ukraine pushes to build its own systems to provide for its own defense. "I get a clear signal from all sides that no matter what, the countries will support Ukraine until the end of this war, and I’m sure that the end of this war will mean victory for Ukraine," he said.