Wellington, Sept 3 NZPA - A request from New Zealand soldiers in Afghanistan to have spy drone planes was rejected despite their use by private companies and coalition forces.

The informal request for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) was rejected by Defence Force Headquarters, Radio New Zealand reported.

The Defence Force has been developing unmanned planes but they have never deployed them.

They are used by private companies in New Zealand to take photos and video.

A spokesman for Defence Minister Wayne Mapp told NZPA the minister had asked for an update on the deployment of the UAVs.

He expected to hear back early next week and to be able to comment by the middle of the week.

The UAVs had been around for awhile, he said.