Ukraine expects deliveries of Switchblade 600 drones from US, - Reznikov
Ukraine expects deliveries of Switchblade 600 drones from the USA.
Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov said this in an interview with Politico, Censor.NET informs.
"We are still waiting for the Switchblade 600 drones; the US has promised to help Kyiv increase its stockpile of barrage munitions that can hover over a target before the operator directs it to strike," he said.
Drone maker AeroVironment said the first batch of 10 drones should arrive within weeks. Reznikov notes that Iran has sold 2,400 drones to Russia in recent weeks, so "for now, I would say that Iranian drones are temporarily winning this competition," Reznikov said.
He said that while tanks and fighters remain under development, air defense will be the "number one priority" in the coming months.
"We need to separate targets in the air - for example, to defeat cruise or ballistic missiles, our defense systems will use ... IRIS-T type missiles from Germany and soon also the national advanced anti-aircraft missile system or our Soviet Buk-type systems. Against Iranian drones, we can use cheaper equipment such as Gepard from Germany or Stingers and Starstreak or other equipment from our partners," he said.
As missiles and drones continue to arrive, strengthening this protective cover over Kyiv and other cities remains a top priority for Ukrainian authorities. "That's why we ask our partners to find solutions with different systems not only for medium or long range, we need short-range systems from different countries that have such systems, such as Sweden, Germany, and the USA," said Reznikov.
While the needs are significant, Reznikov said a steady stream of meetings and calls with allies gives his government confidence that aid will continue to flow, even as Ukraine insists on building its systems to support its defense system.
"I am receiving a clear signal from all sides that, despite everything, countries will support Ukraine until the end of this war, and I am sure that the end of this war will mean the victory of Ukraine," he said.
