The first part of the mission of the American MQ-4C Triton drone went as planned. The machine flew to the Middle East from Italy and went to the Strait of Hormuz, where it conducted reconnaissance activities. Then the machine went on a return flight to the base on the Apennine Peninsula.
However, after entering Saudi Arabia's airspace, the drone encountered some problems. The structure transmitted the Squawk 7700 distress signal indicating a general emergency and began to lose altitude, and shortly thereafter it simply disappeared from air traffic tracking websites.
A costly loss for the US military
The fate of the drone is currently unknown, but at this point there are indications that it crashed. If this were to happen, it would be a very costly loss for the US Navy. The cost of one Triton drone is estimated at approximately USD 230 million.
The MQ-4C is one of the most modern units of this type in the US Army and currently the largest military drone in the world with an almost 40-meter wingspan. It entered service in 2018 and has since been used by the Navy to collect and transmit intelligence in real time, focusing mainly on surveillance of water areas and the coastline. It can also support search and rescue missions, as well as operate in support of P-8 Poseidon patrol aircraft.
Northrop Grumman MQ-4C TritonUS Navy / https://www.flickr.com/photos/usnavy/
