Following the dramatic capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, eyewitness reports have emerged of a highly classified US drone landing at a Puerto Rican airbase, sparking speculation about its role in the mission.
The 'Beast' Returns: A Rare Drone Sighting
Locals near the Puerto Rican air base observed the distinctive, bat-winged aircraft touching down at sunrise on January 3, 2026, just hours after US forces successfully extracted Maduro from Caracas. The aircraft was identified as the RQ-170 Sentinel, a stealth drone so secretive its existence was only publicly acknowledged in 2009.
With an estimated fleet of just 20 units, the RQ-170 is a prized asset. It was famously deployed to monitor Osama Bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, conducting dozens of surveillance flights to pinpoint the optimal moment for the Navy SEAL raid that killed the al-Qaeda leader in 2011.
Manufactured by defence contractor Lockheed Martin, the drone provides critical, silent surveillance for high-risk operations. Its deployment in Afghanistan earned it the moniker 'the Beast of Kandahar'.
A History of High-Stakes Missions and One Major Setback
The Sentinel's operational history is not without blemish. In a significant intelligence failure in 2011, an RQ-170 crashed in Iran rather than returning to its base in Afghanistan. Iranian forces seized the aircraft, with analysts suggesting its GPS signal may have been jammed.
According to previous reporting by The New York Times, stealth drones were flown over the Venezuelan capital to help the CIA gather vital intelligence on Maduro's movements prior to the capture. While the use of the RQ-170 in Caracas is not officially confirmed, its sighting in Puerto Rico immediately after the operation is highly suggestive.
The Scale of the Venezuelan Operation
The capture of Maduro was a vast military undertaking. US officials confirmed that more than 150 American aircraft were involved on the night of the raid, including:
- Bombers
- Fighter jets
- Surveillance planes
Residents in Caracas also reported helicopters overhead, though their origin remains unclear. The operation extended beyond aerial power, with US forces bombing key Venezuelan airbases, airfields, and ports.
Former President Donald Trump also claimed credit for a strategic power cut that plunged Caracas into darkness shortly before the mission began, stating it utilised 'a certain expertise that we have'.
The mission was executed by the US military's elite Delta Force. Maduro and his wife were taken from the Fort Tiuna military installation in Caracas and flown out of the country, an action Trump stated was done 'in conjunction with US Law Enforcement'.
While the silent, shadowy RQ-170 may have played a supporting role, the capture of Nicolás Maduro marks a new, controversial chapter in the use of American military and intelligence assets on foreign soil.
