Maritime Drones - The MoD has confirmed that it was looking at whether unmanned drones, which are used in Afghanistan to fire on insurgent fighters and relay live video images to bases, could be used above water.    Plans to deploy drones at sea might be ready early next year but some of the proposals will probably be kept secret, the Government has said.

With the advancing of the withdrawal of British ground forces from Afghanistan the RAF Drones operated by 39 Squadron, RAF, soon to be joined by 13 Squadron RAF will have some spare capacity.  The aircraft, which can stay airborne for much longer than conventional aircraft planes and fly almost silently, could be used in a variety of roles, including fighting piracy, search and rescue missions and protecting Royal Navy ships by providing early warning of enemy planes or vessels.    Indeed they could replace the much lamented loss of the NIMROD capability which was such a vital part of our maritime defences and for which we are “enjoying” a “capability holiday” following the 2010 SDSR.

The House of Commons Defence Select Committee has announced plans for an inquiry into Britain's use of drones, as the RAF's REAPER programme (the RAF Drone) has achieved the milestone of providing more than 10,000 hours of armed overwatch in support of UK and coalition forces in Afghanistan.