Lee Willett, an expert for defence analyst IHS Jane's, said the lack of maritime patrol aircraft had been one of the biggest holes left by cuts in the 2010 defence review. As well as providing protection for Royal Navy ships and submarines, they would be useful in the UK's waters and further afield, tackling smuggling and trafficking, fighting piracy, and in sea rescue searches such as the hunt for MH370. He said: "Getting rid of them really left one of the most prominent gaps in capability."