US Navy MQ-4C Triton Drone Spotted Near Venezuela Airspace, Raising Safety Concerns

December 22, 2025 at 12:00 AM•3 min read

US Navy MQ-4C Triton drone seen near Venezuela's Maiquetía FIR with intermittent transponder use, heightening Caribbean civil aviation safety concerns

Key Points

1US Navy MQ-4C Triton drone was tracked at nearly 49,000 feet in the Venezuelan-managed Maiquetía Flight Information Region (FIR).
2The drone's intermittent transponder use violated civil aviation best practices, creating a mid-air collision risk for commercial traffic.
3The sighting follows recent near-miss incidents involving commercial flights (JetBlue, Falcon 900) and U.S. military aircraft near Curaçao and Aruba.
4The MQ-4C Triton's high altitude (49,000 ft) is well above the P-8A Poseidon's 41,000 ft ceiling, confirming the use of the unmanned system despite a misleading ID code.

An unmanned U.S. MQ-4C Triton drone was recently tracked over the Caribbean Sea. The aircraft operated in or near airspace managed by Venezuela. This sighting adds to growing Caribbean flight safety concerns.

Unmanned System Detected

The drone is a Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton, operated by the United States Navy. Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft conducting a prolonged maritime patrol. The patrol was north of Venezuela within the Maiquetía Flight Information Region (FIR). This area covers a vast section of Caribbean airspace.

Unusual Flight Profile

The Triton was observed flying at altitudes near 49,000 feet. This high-altitude surveillance is typical for the Triton system. Its service ceiling is above 50,000 feet. The aircraft also used an identification code often linked to the manned Boeing P-8A Poseidon. However, the P-8A Poseidon has a service ceiling of 41,000 feet. This altitude difference confirmed the system was the unmanned reconnaissance drone.

Transponder Use Under Scrutiny

During its mission, the drone's transponder was switched on and off. This intermittent military transponder use means the aircraft was not continuously visible. Civilian air traffic control systems rely on transponders for visibility. This practice has become a major issue for Caribbean flight safety.

Regional Safety Incidents

Recent reports from Curaçao and Aruba highlighted this danger. Several near-miss incidents involved commercial flights and military aircraft. For example, a JetBlue flight and a private jet had close calls near Curaçao. These incidents involved U.S. military aircraft operating without active transponders. Following diplomatic talks, Curaçao and Aruba announced an agreement. U.S. military aircraft will now keep transponders on while operating in their airspace.

Political and Operational Context

The MQ-4C Triton is a long-range, high-altitude system. The U.S. frequently uses it over international waters for counter-narcotics operations. The flight patterns observed were consistent with intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.

Caracas has often called U.S. military operations near the Maiquetía FIR provocative. This is true even when flights remain in international waters. Open-source data cannot confirm if the drone entered Venezuelan sovereign Venezuela airspace. U.S. authorities have not publicly explained this specific flight.

This sighting adds to the debate over military activity in civil aviation-managed airspace. Aviation news highlights the need for consistent transponder use by all aircraft. [https://flying.flights] This is crucial for preventing mid-air conflicts in busy commercial corridors. The civil aviation near-miss events underscore the risk to passenger safety and air traffic management. The high-altitude surveillance missions must be coordinated with civilian air traffic control (ATC) to maintain safe separation standards, as mandated by the ICAO for all member states.