Illustrative image. (U.S. Navy)
An MQ-4C Triton drone of the United States Navy declared an in-flight emergency over the Persian Gulf before rapidly losing altitude on April 9, according to open-source flight tracking data.
The drone, serial 169804, was tracked on Flightradar24 and other aviation websites emitting a 7700 squawk, the standard code for a general emergency.
Tracking data indicates that the drone dropped from around 52,000 feet to roughly 12,750 feet within minutes while operating north of Bahrain.
The drone was flying a typical high-altitude surveillance mission over the Strait of Hormuz before the sudden descent on its way back. It remains unclear whether what was observed reflects a loss of the drone or simply a loss of tracking data for some technical reason.
Click to see full-size image. (Flightradar24)
The Triton was developed by Northrop Grumman to provide real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions over vast ocean and coastal regions, continuous maritime surveillance, conduct search and rescue missions, and to complement the Boeing P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.
The drone has a service ceiling of 56,000 feet, and an endurance of 30 hours, with an operation range over 15,000 kilometers.
A single Triton could cost anywhere from just under $200 million, to over $600 million, making it one of the most expensive drones in service with the U.S. Navy.
The incident came just a day after the United States and Iran agreed on a two-week ceasefire. Washington said that the agreement will help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which closed shortly after the start of the war on the Islamic Republic more than a month ago. Meanwhile, Tehran, from its side, warned that it won’t tolerate drone flights over its terrorists during the ceasefire.
It’s worth noting that in 2019, Iran shot down a BAMS-D drone over the Strait of Hormuz. The drone is a prototype version of the RQ-4A that was manufactured by Northrop Grumman as a part of the Triton development program.
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soon…nuclear armed drones will be “crashing” in tehran!