The U.S. military has sent at least two MQ-9 Reaper drones to the Caribbean in recent weeks, the latest bit of air power deployed to the region since August.
Two Reaper drones were spotted at the Rafael Hernandez Airport in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, this week. Reuters first reported on their presence on Sept. 9, photographing one on the runway armed with Hellfire air-to-surface missiles. The open-source satellite group Satellogic also photographed two Reapers next to a hangar at the airport, per the @MT_Anderson account on X. The Rafael Hernandez Airport is also home to Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen, which flies HH-65 Dolphin helicopters.
The Air Force and Marine Corps both operate MQ-9, but the Coast Guard does not. It is not immediately clear which service the Reapers belong to. The drones are regularly used both for direct strikes and reconnaissance.
The discovery of the pair of drones comes after the military sent 10 F-35 stealth fighter jets to Puerto Rico earlier this month, in support of an ongoing military deployment meant to fight drug trafficking. Those strike fighters were sent to Muñiz Air National Guard Base in San Juan, operated by the Puerto Rico Air National Guard. They were sent as part of anti-drug trafficking operations being conducted by the U.S. military in the southern Caribbean. The jets and drones join a large naval presence in the area that includes several destroyers, a Marine Expeditionary Unit, and at least one submarine.
The U.S. military build-up preceded a U.S. strike on a boat on Sept. 2, killing 11 people on board. The boat, which left Venezuela, was allegedly turning to go back to shore after spotting an American aircraft, according to the New York Times. The Trump administration and Department of Defense have said the boat was carrying drugs and operated by the Tren de Aragua gang, although it has not presented evidence of that so far. The Trump administration has accused Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of overseeing Tren de Aragua, a gang that it designated a foreign terrorist organization in February.
Reports indicate the strike was carried out by special operations forces, using either a drone or an attack helicopter. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has said at least one drone was used. The Venezuelan government has refuted claims that the people aboard the boat were drug smugglers or members of Tren de Aragua. Venezuela has also moved troops to the coast and to the Colombian border in what it calls anti-drug trafficking operations.
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The U.S. Navy currently has seven surface ships and one fast-attack submarine operating in the southern Caribbean. Those were moved into the region throughout August. That force includes thousands of sailors and more than 2,000 Marines with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit.
Elements of Air Force Special Operations Command carried out extensive training exercises in the Caribbean last month, centered around St. Croix, but it is unclear if Reaper drones were involved in any capacity.
