Drone aircraft that have been used by the U.S. military in Afghanistan and insurgents in Iraq are now being used to combat pirates off the Somali coast.

The US. Navy revealed over last weekend the destroyer USS Mahan (DDG 72) has been using unmanned aircraft to keep an eye on small vessels that are suspected of carrying pirates. Sources on the Mahan told the Associated Press the spy flights played a role in Thursday’s capture of nine suspected pirates in the Gulf of Aden. Pictures taken by the drones, some of which are also equipped with night vision, identified a skiff with a ladder onboard that was suspected of firing a rocket-propelled grenade at a merchant vessel in the area earlier, Navy sources said. The warship dispatched helicopters to provide surveillance and air cover, and it deployed a boat with a search and seizure team. Automatic weapons and RPGs were found onboard the skiff and the nine men onboard were detained, although they had apparently thrown their ship scaling ladder into the sea.

"We have a unique capability in which we have an [unmanned air vehicle] that helps us detect the pirates and makes it hard for them to hide," Mahan's Captain Stephen Murphy told the AP, pointing to the images the drone relayed to the bridge of the destroyer. "The UAV can stay airborne all day and cover thousands of miles of the ocean and be able to spot pirates," he added.

(Source: Defense Professionals. Photo of USS Mahan courtesy of U.S. Navy)