My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Michael Fallon) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
Further to the update I provided to the House on 13 October on military activities to counter ISIL (Official Report, column 9WS), we are re-deploying Reaper remotely-piloted aircraft from Afghanistan to be based in the Middle East for use against ISIL. This deployment will complement our existing capabilities which provide highly valued surveillance support and situational awareness to the Iraqi authorities and our coalition partners. As the UK’s only armed remotely-piloted aircraft, Reaper will add to the strike capability we are already providing with our Tornado GR4 aircraft. The policy for their use is the same as that for manned aircraft, with the pilots operating under strict UK Rules of Engagement. We expect to begin Reaper operations in Iraq shortly.
The deployment is the first operational use of UK Reaper outside of support to our operations in Afghanistan, where we are beginning to withdraw the aircraft. As Reaper numbers in Afghanistan reduce, we intend to move more of them to the Middle East, adding to our coverage.
I will continue to provide updates to the House on our military activity.