A MQ-4C Triton drone carried out its fifth surveillance mission in the vicinity of Venezuelan territory in the early hours of this Tuesday, a sign of the continuity of Washington’s monitoring of strategic objectives in the country after the capture of Nicolas Maduro.
According to the data reported by the aerial tracking platform FlightRadar24the device would have initially taken off from the Naval Air Station Jacksonvillealthough its transponder was only activated when it was already south of Puerto Rico, unusual behavior compared to previous missions.
During the operation, the MQ-4C Triton was digitally camouflaged as a P-8A Poseidon, a maritime patrol aircraft commonly used by the US armed forces, and flew over the north of the Paraguaná peninsulain the state of Falcón, before heading north to the Paria peninsula, state of Sucre.
A good part of the route occurred within the Flight Information Region (FIR) of Maiquetía, corresponding to the state of La Guaira.
The mission lasted approximately eight hours.since its first appearance in the records at 11:24 in the morning (local time), the report stated.
Technical indicators confirm that it was not a P-8A
Although the aircraft used the identification of a P-8A, the flight parameters rule out that it was that model. The P-8A Poseidon have an operational ceiling close to 41,000 feet (12.5 kilometers), while the observed aircraft exceeded 48,000 feet (14.63 kilometers). That level can only be achieved by the MQ-4C Triton, a high-altitude drone specialized in reconnaissance and espionage tasks.
The team often operates in conjunction with P-8A aircraft during naval surveillance and intelligence gathering tasks.
The drone, which frequently uses the callsign “BLKCAT6,” has carried out at least four previous missions confirmed by public radars since the so-called “Operation Absolute Resolve”which culminated in the capture of Maduro on the orders of US President Donald Trump.
The aerial activity suggests that the United States maintains permanent monitoring in strategic areas of eastern and western Venezuela while the open political transition continues after the arrest of the former Chavista president.
