To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether pilots who are in control of armed Reaper drones conducting operations overseas are (a) engaged in armed conflict and (b) regulated by the laws of war.
Answered on
31 October 2016
Whether UK pilots in control of Reaper unmanned aerial system conducting operations overseas are engaged in an armed conflict depends on the type of operation the pilots are undertaking. UK military personnel who are using force on overseas operations will do so in accordance with the laws of war (also known as the Law of Armed Conflict/International Humanitarian Law).
Answered by
Ministry of Defence