MQ-4C Triton drone. Credit line: APFootage / Alamy / Profimedia
The US MQ-4C Triton reconnaissance drone was gathering intelligence near Iran. On February 22, it sent an emergency signal, then suddenly disappeared from radar while flying over the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Iran, reports the specialized website Militarnyi.
The drone, operated by the US Navy, had taken off from an air base in the United Arab Emirates. Flight tracking website Flightradar24 recorded the last minutes of the flight of the aircraft with registration number 169660 and callsign OVRLD1.
During the flight, Triton transmitted the code 7700, which in aviation means an emergency, then disappeared from radar.
The defense website Defense Network suggested that Russian or Chinese electronic warfare systems in Iran's arsenal could have jammed its signal.
Currently, three US MQ-4C Triton drones are stationed at Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, according to the quoted source.
On February 25, the US military sent another MQ-4C Triton on a reconnaissance mission, which flew for several hours southeast of the coast of Iran. It flew over international waters in the Gulf of Oman, near Iran.
One of the most advanced and expensive US drones
The MQ-4C Triton is one of the US's most advanced and expensive surveillance drones, with an estimated value of around $230 million.
It is a long-range, high-altitude reconnaissance drone capable of providing real-time information over large ocean and coastal areas. It can stay in the air for over 30 hours, flying at an altitude of up to 17,000 meters at a speed of up to 610 km/h.
In 2025, the US discovered problems with the MQ-4C Triton drones that could prevent their use in combat. Despite the additional $83.1 million in funding to upgrade two aircraft to the latest version, the Navy plans to request additional funding to fix problems across the entire drone fleet.
