- A US Navy MQ-4C Triton drone reportedly broadcast an in-flight emergency squawk 7700 over the Persian Gulf.
- A US Navy MQ-4C Triton drone reportedly broadcast an in-flight emergency squawk 7700 over the Persian Gulf.
- Officials have not confirmed whether this indicates a crash or a temporary tracking bla
The steep descent recorded in the data was from around 52,000 feet to roughly 12,750 feet within minutes while flying north of Bahrain.
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The sudden loss of drone tracking over the Gulf could indicate a catastrophic structural failure, or it may simply be a blackout, meaning only the tracking data was lost.
The anomalous flight path was first flagged by George Allison, senior editor at the UK Defense Journal, who monitored the event via open-source intelligence (OSINT) tools. There has been no formal acknowledgment from US military authorities.
Evolution of the RQ-4 Global Hawk, the MQ-4C Triton offers unmatched intelligence. Unlike traditional aircraft, the Triton provides long-hour strategic surveillance over chokepoints. The Triton is engineered for persistent, large-scale maritime surveillance, frequently serving as the high-altitude eyes for P-8A Poseidon patrol planes.
The drones are positioned for the US Central Command area over the Gulf region. Earlier this year, some Triton airframes based in the UAE were repositioned to NAS Sigonella in Italy, according to open-source reporting.
The UK Defense Journal has reached out to the US military for an official statement regarding the high-value asset Triton's emergency descent over the Persian Gulf.
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