RQ-170 Sentinel Stealth Drone Supported Maduro Capture Mission

RQ-170 Sentinel stealth drones appear to have taken part in the operation to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife. Spotting an RQ-170 in the context of a real-world mission is very rare, but it would not be unexpected in this case.

The RQ-170 was designed by Lockheed’s Skunk Works exactly for this application, to provide persistent surveillance of high-value targets deep inside contested environments, including in support of special operations missions just like the one overnight in Venezuela.

A local spotter in Puerto Rico captured video said to show the RQ-170 returning to the former Naval Station Roosevelt Roads earlier this morning, as seen in the social media post below. The same spotter also filmed clips of other aircraft arriving at the base today, and has been otherwise visually monitoring air traffic there for some time now.

This facility, also known as Jose Aponte de la Torre Airport, has been a major hub for expanded U.S. military operations in and around the Caribbean since September 2025. This is just one focal point in a much larger buildup of American air, naval, and ground assets in the region over the last five months.

It’s also worth noting here that, back in December, Air Forces Southern (AFSOUTH) had posted pictures on social media highlighting a visit by Air Combat Command (ACC) head Gen. Adrian Spain to its 612th Air Operations Center at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona. AFSOUTH is the U.S. Air Force’s top command for operations in and around much of Latin America. One of those images included an individual wearing a name patch with an RQ-170 silhouette, as well as the shoulder sleeve insignia of the 432nd Wing.

The posts and pictures contained therein were subsequently taken down. The 30th and 44th Reconnaissance Squadrons, both assigned to the 432nd Wing at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada, are the only units the Air Force has acknowledged publicly as operating RQ-170s.

Many had taken this as a sign that Sentinels might be flying operational missions in and around the Caribbean.

Photo: This picture of an RQ-170, taken on Guam, is the only one to be officially released to date.  USAF via FOIA

Source: The War Zone