[Randallw]

I have been using drones in my current game and they appear to work. some details.

they move in system. They don't move in the sector map but that could be because my drones have no warheads. Note the manual states you CANNOT control drones. They are, well, drones, their onboard computer makes the decisions for them.
So when the enemy attacks my drones they just sit there doing nothing until the enemy destroys them.

Something else I noticed. I fit my drones out with supply storage and a cloaking device and I found that the drones do not use up supplies. I don't know if there is something wrong with drones that they don't use supplies or if some part of the engines or storage now makes more supplies and drones use so little but I have cloaked drones just stitting in enemy space observing everything and unless the enemy finds them they aren't going to go.