{"id":84728,"date":"2026-01-05T21:05:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T21:05:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2026\/01\/05\/videos-suggest-stealthy-air-force-drone-flew-recon-for-maduro-capture\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T01:26:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T01:26:22","slug":"videos-suggest-stealthy-air-force-drone-flew-recon-for-maduro-capture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2026\/01\/05\/videos-suggest-stealthy-air-force-drone-flew-recon-for-maduro-capture\/","title":{"rendered":"Videos suggest stealthy Air Force drone flew recon for Maduro capture"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The fleet of aircraft that took part in the U.S. military\u2019s capture of Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1<\/a>s Maduro<\/a> included bombers, fighters and surveillance aircraft from multiple services \u2014 and reportedly one of the Air Force\u2019s secretive recon drones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a Saturday news briefing with President Donald Trump that more than 150 aircraft took off from 20 locations on land and sea to support Maduro\u2019s capture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The airborne element of Operation Absolute Resolve, as the U.S. government dubbed the mission, included F-22 Raptors, F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, F\/A-18 Hornets and B-1 Lancer bombers, Caine said. It also included E\/A-18 Growlers, a Hornet variant that specializes in electronic warfare, E-2 Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft and other helicopters and support aircraft, Caine said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caine also said the force included \u201cnumerous remotely piloted drones.\u201d Aircraft from the Air Force, Air National Guard, Navy and Marine Corps took part in the operation, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis was an audacious operation that only the United States could do,\u201d Caine said. \u201cIt required the utmost of precision and integration within our joint force, and the word integration does not explain the sheer complexity of such a mission. An extraction so precise it involved more than 150 aircraft launching across the Western Hemisphere in close coordination, all coming together in time and place to layer effects for a single purpose, to get in an interdiction force into downtown Caracas while maintaining the element of tactical surprise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFailure of one component of this well-oiled machine would have endangered the entire mission, and failure is never an option for America\u2019s joint force,\u201d Caine said. \u201cThose in the air over Caracas last night were willing to give their lives for those on the ground and in the helicopters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked what type of drones took part in the operation, the Air Force referred Defense News\u2019 inquiries to the Pentagon\u2019s press office, which declined to comment on its drone presence in the area, citing operation security concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But soon after the operation, videos taken by aviation observers began appearing online showing the Air Force\u2019s stealthy RQ-170 Sentinel reconnaissance drone returning to Puerto Rico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The War Zone highlighted a pair of videos purportedly showing the RQ-170\u2019s dawn return<\/a> to base. Aviation Week editor Brian Everstine also noted, in a December social media post, that Air Forces Southern had posted \u2014 and soon took offline \u2014 a photograph of an airman<\/a> wearing patches showing the RQ-170 and the insignia of the 432nd Wing, which flies the Sentinel, suggesting it may be operating in that area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Caine\u2019s description of the operation\u2019s airborne component, he made multiple references to drone aircraft and surveillance coverage that could have encompassed the Air Force\u2019s RQ-170, a low-observable intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance drone created by Lockheed Martin\u2019s Advanced Development Programs, or Skunk Works. The drone was regularly flown over Afghanistan during the war there, where it earned the nickname the Beast of Kandahar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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VERY RARE: Footage shows a U.S. RQ-170 stealth drone returning to Puerto Rico after reportedly supporting last night\u2019s U.S. strikes on Venezuela.

The RQ-170 Sentinel is a stealthy, high-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle developed by Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works. pic.twitter.com\/R2qQI3TyvK<\/a><\/p>— Clash Report (@clashreport) January 3, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote>