An MQ-4C Triton drone from the U.S. Navy has vanished while flying over the Persian Gulf, in close proximity to Iranian airspace, though Iran does not officially control that region. Before losing contact, the drone reportedly transmitted a distress code, indicating an emergency situation.
Additional reports provide details of the drone’s route, which included surveillance over the Strait of Hormuz. The drone then initiated a return to its base but abruptly changed course, heading toward Iran before it vanished from radar.
As of now, both the Navy and the Department of Defense have yet to comment on the drone’s disappearance.
The MQ-4C’s transponder was broadcasting (or “squawking”) the code 7700, which is a general declaration of an in-flight emergency, at the time. The code, by itself, does not offer any indication of what that the emergency might be or how serious the situation is. There are also unconfirmed reports that the Triton initially sent out another code, 7400, which is used to declare a loss of connectivity between a drone and its controllers on the ground.
Another report shows what is described as the drone’s flight path, including a patrol over the Strait of Hormuz before turning to return to base – and then suddenly turning to approach Iran before disappearing.
On its way back to base, the US Navy MQ-4C Triton reconnaissance drone that had been patrolling the Strait of Hormuz took a turn towards Iran, squawked code 7700 (general emergency), and started descending, falling off ADS-B as it dropped under 10k feet. pic.twitter.com/1Ki8OsEk9k
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) April 9, 2026
The Navy and the War Department have not yet made any statement about the drone’s disappearance.
