Nearly a week after the capture of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela—framed as the primary objective of Operation Absolute Resolve—the United States Armed Forces continue to maintain a significant military presence in the Caribbean, largely concentrated in Puerto Rico. This is taking place as various negotiations are underway between the Bolivarian regime, currently headed by acting president Delcy Eloína Rodríguez, and the Republican government led by Donald Trump.
While several developments have been recorded in recent days, such as the release of various political prisoners, U.S. Armed Forces units stationed in Puerto Rico remain on alert and awaiting further orders. Although the return of fifth-generation F-22 Raptor fighters to their bases in the continental United States has been noted in recent days, the U.S. Air Force continues to demonstrate intense activity at various points across the island. This includes the constant movement of transport aircraft and, as observed today, Zona Militar confirmed the presence of armed MQ-9 Reaper drones conducting flights from Rafael Hernández Airport.
Since recent months, when the deployment and concentration of military assets in Puerto Rico began, U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reapers have been tasked with intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions over the Caribbean Sea, as well as strike operations against vessels and speedboats transporting drug shipments.
Following their arrival on the island last September, it has become common to see Reapers equipped with various types of payloads and specialized mission packages to perform different roles. In this regard, as the weeks passed, it was increasingly common to observe the unmanned combat aircraft armed with a growing number of AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles. At the same time, given the distances involved and in order to ensure greater endurance in operational areas, they were also fitted with external fuel tanks.
Nevertheless, and as highlighted by the widespread circulation of images provided by Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) sources, attention has focused on a new set of equipment with which the MQ-9s have been deployed in recent months. This involves a new pod—its designation currently unknown—which could incorporate various types of sensors for specialized functions.
Beyond the novelty of its presence in Puerto Rico, this same pod—distinguished by a long antenna on its rear ventral section—has also been observed on other Reapers deployed during exercises and missions in Romania, Japan, and South Korea, all operational theaters in contested regions of Europe and Asia.
Returning to the current status of the deployment, and as part of the coverage being conducted by Zona Militar in Puerto Rico, we were able to observe that far from decreasing, MQ-9 Reaper activity on the island remains steady. Indeed, as shown in the images obtained, four drones were observed, several of them armed with at least two to four Hellfire missiles.
Finally, as previously noted, the presence of Reapers at various locations in Puerto Rico—as well as other aerial and naval military assets and aircraft—appears aimed primarily at maintaining pressure on the Bolivarian regime while progress continues in economic and political spheres. These developments point more toward a normalization of relations between the United States and Venezuela rather than toward a rushed transition or regime change.
*Photographs: Victoria Pierucci.
