Military drones could be flown off the coast of Plymouth

This includes the existing “danger area” used for operational training, which covers a large swathe of the sea off the South West peninsula stretching from the south of Falmouth all the way up to past Kingsbridge.

There is currently only one British base where UAVs and normal aircraft can fly together in the same airspace – the privately owned West Wales Airport (WWA) in Aberporth.

It comes as the MoD announced a £30million deal for a new unmanned surveillance drone, which can be launched from UK warships.

The unarmed ScanEagle aircraft, which it is understood will enter service in 2015, will be used to gather intelligence.

It forms part of a wider expansion of the military’s fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

However, this has proved controversial with ethical and legal concerns over the use of armed Reaper drones in Afghanistan.

This is underlined by the stream of parliamentary questions tabled by MPs in the Commons on the issue.

The MoD has insisted that British UAVs operate within strict guidelines and are subject to the same rules of engagement as fast jets and military surveillance planes.

On the publication of the map showing areas within the UK where UAVs may operate, an MoD spokesman insisted: “This is a planning document for possible future use.”

The Civil Aviation Authority has confirmed that as it was within existing reserved military airspace, it would not have to authorise their use by UAVs.

The military runs a number of UAV systems.

The Scan Eagle is the first “maritime specific” unmanned vehicle which will be used to support Naval operations.

It can be launched off the back of Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxillary ships day or night to gather intelligence.

It is commanded by a specialist team on board the ship who will plan its missions, control its flights and monitor and analyse the information it gathers using its state of the art sensors.

Royal Navy Captain Ian Annett said: “ScanEagle represents an important addition to the Royal Navy’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability.

“Its ability to deploy during the day and night coupled with the technology it uses, will give Commanders a clearer picture of the operational situation whenever it’s required.”

Minister for Defence Equipment Philip Dunne said: “ScanEagle provides the Royal Navy with proven surveillance capability that has already been used on operations by other nations, so we know we are getting top quality equipment.

“The technology is off-the-shelf and will be available to the Royal Navy as soon as possible.

“Our continued investment in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems is essential to keeping our Armed Forces up to date with the latest capabilities and this will be a central part of the MoD’s investment in new equipment over the next 10 years.”
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