A highly classified U.S. stealth surveillance drone has been tentatively linked to recent American military activity connected to events in Venezuela, although no official confirmation has been provided by Washington.
Open-source imagery and video circulating in recent days appear to show a Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel operating in the wider Caribbean region, with some analysts suggesting the aircraft may have supported intelligence gathering linked to the operation that reportedly resulted in the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.
The footage is said to show the distinctive flying-wing aircraft arriving in Puerto Rico, where the former Naval Station Roosevelt Roads has increasingly been used as a hub for U.S. military operations since late 2025.
U.S. RQ-170 stealth drone returning to Puerto Rico this morning.
This is immensely rare footage of the drone, spotted after supporting US strikes on Venezuela last night. pic.twitter.com/XQFpWyIjiW
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) January 3, 2026
The RQ-170 is one of the most secretive platforms in U.S. service. Introduced in 2007, it is designed to conduct high-altitude intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions in contested or denied airspace. The aircraft’s low observable design and advanced sensor suite make it well suited to monitoring sensitive targets and supporting special operations or strategic strikes, roles it has previously fulfilled in Afghanistan and the Asia-Pacific region.
Very little is officially known about the Sentinel’s deployment patterns or tasking. The U.S. Air Force has acknowledged the type’s existence but rarely discusses where or how it is used, and analysts believe only a small number remain in service with specialist reconnaissance units. There has been no confirmation from the U.S. Department of War or other government agencies that the RQ-170 was involved in operations connected to Venezuela.
This looks like Teranis, I heard we built a dozen of these and sold them to the US. 😁
Damn it, the headline misled me. I hoped this was the RQ180!
Sentinel is old news.
“These are not the Drones you’re looking for” ?
OB1 ! 😁🤦♂️
“You may go about your business”
“Move along”
One the the greatest film trologies ever.
Though the ESB was better.
Trologie? Lol.
“Trol” ogie is probably more apt for this place !
“You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy” (probably even more apt !!!!) 😁
Lol. Ok, you clearly know your Star Wars quotes. I only do the original 3. The modern lot are pretty poor apart from Rogue One.
Catch you later, I’m off on the road again now !
Stay on target!!
Not sure If you were replying to me but I have arrived on target now !!! Just catching up on the comments.
That was copied from another film I learned recently, damned if I can remember which one now.
Now I think about it I was watching a video on Asimov’s themes in the Foundation books and how he was referencing the decline of the British Empire and the gradual rise of the new US ‘Empire’ in its place. But yes one of the episodes in the third book I presume was pretty much exactly reflected in that memorable scene in Star Wars.
More memories return that in present circumstances are rather more pertinent perhaps than that brief s ene now I think about it. The rise of the Foundation (the US) starts with mostly pure and idealistic intent but the books study ongoing themes around how over time they are increasingly corrupted and ethically A moral, especially as ithis growing superpower becomes supreme and unmatched in its universe and where self serving leaders become oh too common a feature of its politics. A visionary indeed.
What the “These are not the Droids” bit ? I’m not too familiar with Isaacs stuff apart from some of the amazing covers.
Yes only in Foundation it wasn’t droids (they had been banned) it was a 2nd Foundationer who had developed similar mind bending abilities as the Jedi helping ‘rebels’ get past the Empire’s guards.
I doubt very much they would expose the RQ180 when beating up some second world not even regional power.. let’s be honest this was the 21c century version the RAF bombing tribesmen with biplanes in the 1930s. The RQ180 will come into play when there is a Sino US war and probably not before.
Logically, I agree.
However….I recall the F117A was used in the Panama operation.
Also, It is suggested the RQ180 has already been used in the South China sea and elsewhere, there have been photos of an aircraft suggested to be it, and also some interesting infrastructure built on a site in Guam.
Spookily I believe it was also an RQ-170 that did the Stealth recce over Pakistan during Operation Neptune Spear.
The latter is just one of those wonderful names the US give to Operations, they tend to sound great but either demonstrate their lack of Education (Neptune used a Trident) or when their ACRONYMS show total ignorance of common non US English words.
Hence why when they started briefing UK, Australian and NZ about their rather catchy Acronym “The War Against Terrorism” it got changed to GWOT.
Anything other than the huge drones are just glorified RC models so I am surprised air forces don’t just build funky airframes and fly them so people get over stimulated about new super secret stealth drones that in reality are little more than a large Airfix kits. Cheap psyops fun for all I would suggest? If there is no reference point then Internet geeks can’t even tell how big they are. Such larks.
I wonder what the Chinese for Airfix is ?