Following the recent incident that presumably led to the loss of a similar asset, the US Navy’s high-altitude maritime surveillance drones are back operating over the Middle East.
Today we tracked the first mission of a US Navy Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton following the critical event of the past few days. This time, the asset deployed is the aircraft with registration 169661 (callsign VVPE661), which took off from NAS Sigonella in Sicily. Specifically, this is the second Triton currently deployed at the Italian base.
As the flight path shows, the drone crossed the central and eastern Mediterranean Sea and is currently flying eastwards, bound for the Persian Gulf. This mission effectively marks a resumption of long-range ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) operations in an operational theater that remains highly volatile.
We will see in the coming hours exactly where the Remotely Piloted Aircraft will focus its mission. However, considering recent dynamics and the strategic importance of the region, it is highly likely that the Triton will concentrate its patrolling activities in the sensitive area of the Strait of Hormuz.
We will continue to monitor the situation to confirm the drone’s final operational area.
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According to well-informed US sources, 24 MQ-9A Reapers have already been destroyed by April 10, 2026.