US reconnaissance drone flies over Persian Gulf for several hours

TASS

MOSCOW, September 14. /TASS/. A US reconnaissance drone flew for several hours over the neutral waters of the Persian Gulf, a source in the air traffic control services of the Middle East told TASS.

"The Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton drone arrived in the Persian Gulf region from one of the military bases in the region, then made several circles over the neutral waters and turned back towards the departure base," the source said. He added that the drone could maintain an altitude of about 14.5 km, which is significantly higher than commercial planes typically fly.

The source said Northrop Grumman MQ·4C Triton drones have returned to the skies over the Middle East recently. Aircraft of this type are capable of providing real·time intelligence information and monitoring large areas of sea and land surfaces, as well as complementing the capabilities of anti·submarine aircraft such as the Boeing P·8 Poseidon. In the spring, one of the Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton aircraft had an emergency – it sent a distress signal in flight and then disappeared over the Persian Gulf.

Fonte: TASS