British drones may strike pirate boats The aircraft, which can stay airborne for much longer than 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. The use of drones remains controversial. Only last month, the Government was under pressure to disclose more about its use of armed drones in Afghanistan and to clarify whether British intelligence is used to help the CIA kill terrorist suspects in drone strikes outside conventional war zones. MPs and peers have written to Philip Hammond, the Defence Secretary, and William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, with a series of questions about Britain's policy on unmanned aerial vehicles. Rehman Chishti, a Conservative MP and member of the joint committee on human rights, said that he wanted a review of the way that the military deployed drones because of concerns over civilian casualties. "I think there needs to be far more debate than what we have had before in terms of the usage of these drones," said Mr Chishti, who was previously an adviser to Benazir Bhutto, the former prime minister of Pakistan who was assassinated in 2007. The Commons defence select committee has also announced plans for an inquiry into Britain's use of drones, a move that Mr Chishti welcomed.