The $200 million MQ-4C Triton, a surveillance drone of the U.S. Navy, vanished during a routine intelligence mission in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.
The incident occurred after it had completed its patrol and was returning to its base at Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy.
The unmanned aircraft declared an in-flight emergency and sent the code 7700, after which it began to descend.
Then it mysteriously disappeared from the radar.
Some are saying that Iran might have shot it down, or it might have suffered from a technical failure, or simply could not be tracked when it entered a contested airspace, but nothing has been confirmed yet.
This is significant because MQ-4C Triton is one of the most advanced unmanned aircraft of the U.S Navy.
It is built to fly at high altitude, above 50,000 feet and can stay airborne for more than 24 hours. The uncrewed aircraft helps America monitor the vast oceans with the help of its extremely sensitive sensors and radar systems.
Given its capabilities, it
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