Overview
- The MQ-4C Triton, which signaled an emergency Thursday over the Persian Gulf, descended from about 52,000 feet to below 10,000 before it dropped off public trackers.
- Transponder codes first showed 7400 for a lost control link and then 7700 for a general emergency, based on open-source tracking that can be patchy in this region.
- The drone appeared to be returning to Naval Air Station Sigonella in Italy and turned northeast toward Iran near the end of its visible track.
- The U.S. Navy has not confirmed a crash or given a cause, and there is no official statement yet on what happened.
- The Triton is a high-altitude maritime surveillance drone used to watch sea lanes near the Strait of Hormuz, where shipping remains restricted under a fragile U.S.–Iran pause in hostilities.