New Delhi: The most-tracked aircraft on Flightradar24 right now isn’t a commercial jet. Instead, it’s an unmanned American military drone that is on a surveillance flight, tracking Venezuela’s drug trafficking network. The MQ-4C Triton is a high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed for and flown by the United States Navy and Royal Australian Air Force as a surveillance aircraft.
Built under the US Navy’s Broad Area Maritime Surveillance programme, the Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton is designed to provide real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions (ISR) over vast ocean and coastal regions.
The region has long been a hot zone for narcotics trafficking networks, with smugglers using maritime corridors to move shipments northward. The Triton’s powerful sensors and uninterrupted flight capabilities give US authorities a wide-angle view of these routes, helping track vessels and detect suspicious activity.
Flightradar24, the popular global flight tracker, shows live air traffic from around the world by using data from ADS-B receivers, multilateration, radar, satellites, and airport information.
Users can avail its features using the website (www.flightradar24.com) and mobile app, which allow them to track specific flights, see airport information, view flight history, and even use augmented reality to spot planes overhead.
While many military aircraft hide their positions, some unmanned systems like the Triton periodically appear on the platform, instantly sparking interest. Earlier, the United States struck another small boat accused of carrying drugs in the waters off Venezuela, killing six people, President Donald Trump said on Tuesday.
Asserting that, Trump’s administration said alleged drug traffickers will be treated as unlawful combatants who must be met with military force.
