Somali-based pirates have struck again.  Hijacking a Greek-owned cargo ship 400 nautical miles northeast of the Seychelles Islands in the Indian Ocean.

London-based piracy expert Nick Davis, tells Fox News, pirates now have “…no problem extending their reach.”   He explains they “leapfrog” from skiff to skiff with a range of some 200 miles for each small boat.  When they reach their target ship they just sail that back to Somalia.

Today’s successful hijacking is the tenth for the pirates since October.  Heavy monsoon weather had hampered their activity. Some 250 hostages are being held.

Pirates are defying an international fleet arrayed against them.   Right now there are 25 ships from 14 nations patrolling the seas.

While the navies have thwarted many pirate seizures, they haven’t been able to halt the problem.

“You can throw as many warships as you want at them,”  Davis added, “and it won’t make a difference.”

For that reason Fox News can confirm, the US is taking to the skies to deal with piracy.  The US military command Africom, Fox learned, has now stationed 3 unmanned surveillance Reaper aircraft in the Seychelles.

They have been there for a few weeks and can stay aloft for 18 hours and provide a live feed of sea actions.

The Reapers can be armed but as of now are only providing visuals. The way this crisis is building, that could change.