Tel Aviv: Russian or Chinese-made EW systems may have been used to take down a US Navy MQ-4C Triton – high-altitude surveillance drone while flying in the Iranian airspace.
The advanced drone disappeared from radar over the Persian Gulf, south of Iran around February 21-22, 2026, after broadcasting an emergency signal. The drone had departed from Abu Dhabi and was conducting routine maritime surveillance orbits at about 32,900 feet when contact was lost.
Experts assess that electronic warfare was used to spoof the drone’s signal before a physical takedown by kinetic weapon.
The MQ-4C Triton is a key US Navy asset for long-endurance intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions in contested regions like the Persian Gulf.
The incident highlights ongoing US -Iran aerial friction in the Gulf, where surveillance flights monitor key sea lanes.
The Northrop Grumman’s MQ-4C Triton detects, tracks, and classifies objects quickly and safely by flying higher, longer and more efficiently while quickly sharing data to enable military coordination.
Triton is the only autonomous high altitude, long endurance (HALE) maritime aircraft capable of operating at altitudes above 50,000 ft, for 24-plus hours with a range of 7,400 nautical miles.
According to the US company, the aircraft can operate collaboratively with crewed platforms across domains through the intelligent and timely exchange of data.
The disappearance of the US advanced drone comes when the tensions between the US and Iran have reached a critical point.
-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
