Overview
- Open-source trackers showed a U.S. Navy MQ-4C Triton, a high-altitude maritime surveillance drone, declare an in-flight emergency and drop off public flight tracking over the Persian Gulf on Thursday.
- Data indicated a rapid descent from about 52,000 feet to below roughly 10,000 feet, with reports the code shifted from 7400 for link loss to 7700 for a general emergency as the drone turned slightly toward Iran.
- The public track ended over water near the Strait of Hormuz, and the Navy has issued no confirmation of a crash, recovery, or cause.
- The aircraft had flown roughly three hours over the Gulf and the strait and appeared to be returning to Naval Air Station Sigonella in Italy when the emergency occurred.
- Reporters note no evidence of hostile fire despite Iran’s 2019 shootdown of a related drone, and they point out that tracking gaps and electronic jamming in the region can make public data appear erratic.