A flight tracking website recorded at least five US military aircraft flying over Venezuela's coast on Friday night. The aircraft include Navy and Marine Corps jets. Washington has not issued any official statement on the incident.
On the night of October 12, the Flightradar24 website detected several US aircraft along the Venezuelan coast. Initially, a Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet jet from the US Navy was identified, followed by two more of the same model, designated RHINO61 and RHINO62. Subsequently, four Boeing EA-18G Growler jets and one Marine Corps intelligence aircraft appeared, totaling at least five units.
The aircraft signals were lost shortly after detection, sparking speculation about possible transponder shutdowns, though this remains unconfirmed. Flightradar24 explained that tracking relies on multilateration (MLAT), which can be imprecise over water and estimates positions for up to ten minutes after signal loss, based on the last known trajectory.
This incident unfolds amid escalating US-Venezuela tensions. President Donald Trump has ramped up pressure on Nicolás Maduro's government, which the US accuses of leading the Cartel de Los Soles, labeled a foreign terrorist organization last month. In August, Washington offered a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro's capture.
On Wednesday, October 10, Trump announced the seizure of a major tanker in an anti-drug operation. On Friday, October 12, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on three of Maduro's nephews and first lady Cilia Flores. On Saturday, October 13, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López criticized the US on social media, stating: “The United States has recognized that the world is heading toward an inevitable multipolarity and has begun a strategic withdrawal to consolidate its hegemony in this hemisphere, particularly in the Caribbean Sea, at the expense of our peoples' sovereignty. We will defend our concept of sovereignty, but the world needs to pay attention to what is happening here, as it will shape the global order in the coming years.”
Neither the White House nor Trump has commented on the overflight so far.
