Written question asked by Lord Judd (Labour) on Wednesday, 22 October 2014, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 5 November 2014. It was answered by Lord Astor of Hever (Conservative) on Tuesday, 4 November 2014 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Afghanistan

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what strategic policy on the use of armed drones was put in place before withdrawing troops from Afghanistan.

Answer: Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) have played a vital role in supporting UK and coalition forces in Afghanistan. On current plans, in line with the withdrawal of UK combat troops, all of the UK Reaper RPAS will be withdrawn from Afghanistan by the end of the year. Her Majesty's Government has been clear it plans to retain the Reaper RPAS, principally for its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. Reaper can be utilised in a variety of environments and roles and has recently been deployed to support operations the Middle East

Secondary information