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US reconnaissance drone detected off Iran coast calls Italian base home

The UAV, which has been repeatedly detected in this area, including near the city of Bushehr, has been in the air for multiple hours and is operating at an altitude above 14.5 km, according to the source

MOSCOW, April 2. /TASS/. A US Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton reconnaissance drone took flight from the Sigonella military base in Sicily, Italy, to carry out a mission near Iran’s coast, a source in Middle Eastern air traffic control circles told TASS.

"The reconnaissance drone took off from the Sigonella military base and circled several times over neutral waters of the Persian Gulf in close proximity to Iran’s airspace," the source said. The UAV, which has been repeatedly detected in this area, including near the city of Bushehr, has been in the air for multiple hours and is operating at an altitude above 14.5 km, according to the source.

The source noted that Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton drones are capable of providing real-time intelligence and monitoring large areas of sea and land, as well as complementing the capabilities of anti-submarine aircraft such as Boeing P-8 Poseidon.

Earlier, the Corriere della Sera newspaper reported that Italy had denied the US access to the Sigonella military base. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni later said there were no issues between Rome and Washington following media reports about US bombers headed to the combat zone in the Middle East being denied access to the Italian military base.