Ukraine could receive further supplies of Switchblade 600 suicide drones, which could boost Kyiv's defense capabilities, Charlie Dean, vice president of global business development and marketing at defense contractor AeroVironment, said, Newsweek reported on Thursday.

The Switchblade 600 is "tremendously important to the defense of Ukraine," Dean told Newsweek.

The Ukrainian military currently has a larger number of smaller Switchblade 300 drones, compared to the larger Switchblade 600 model drone, but "that will soon change," he said.

The United States provided Ukraine with a "very large number" of Switchblade 300s, Dean said, adding that "they were quickly used on the battlefield for their intended purpose."

"The 600s are also being used in Ukraine, and those quantities are adding up quickly in the country," he said. "The 300s continue to outnumber the 600s presently, but that will soon change."

The United States has provided several types of drones to Ukraine as part of military assistance, including Switchblade and Phoenix Ghost loitering munitions. Switchblades, also used by U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, appeared in footage coming out of Ukraine, but the Pentagon did not disclose exactly how many were sent.

In response to a request from Newsweek, the Pentagon said it could not provide any additional details about "the specific quantities or types of weapons, systems and equipment provided to our Ukrainian partners" beyond publicly available information.

The U.S. Defense Department "will continue to support Ukraine with the means to defend itself in the near term and deter against further aggression," spokesperson Jeff Jurgensen said in a statement.