The United States deployed two F/A-18 fighter jets over the Gulf of Venezuela on Tuesday, a maneuver that marks what appears to be the closest known approach of US military aircraft to Venezuelan airspace to date.
The jets were observed on flight tracking service Flightradar24, where they flew for approximately 30 minutes over the waters north of Venezuela.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a US defense official described the short mission as a “routine training flight” intended to demonstrate the aircraft’s operational reach.
The official did not disclose whether the jets were armed but stressed that the operation remained entirely within international airspace.
Tuesday’s dual flight is the latest action in months of escalating US military activity in the region.
Although the US has previously flown B-52 Stratofortress and B-1 Lancer bombers along Venezuela’s coastline, the F/A-18s appear to have approached closer than those larger aircraft.
The increase in activity began after US strikes on alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific.
The Trump administration has maintained that the operations are essential to curbing illicit drug trafficking, a claim Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro continues to deny. The first reported US military strike on a vessel allegedly carrying drugs from Venezuela occurred in September.
Meanwhile, tensions surrounding Venezuelan airspace escalated in November after President Trump instructed airlines to treat the region as effectively closed, aligning with FAA warnings to civilian carriers.
While military experts acknowledge Venezuela’s air-naval systems including fighter jets, limited surface vessels, and Russian-made surface-to-air missiles, retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies suggested the threat could be quickly neutralized.
“Reasonably speaking, in the first day or two of a campaign plan, we can eliminate the air and maritime threat to US forces,” Montgomery stated.
This assessment is echoed by an international lawyer and former Venezuelan diplomat, Isaias Medina, who noted that Venezuela’s military capabilities look better on paper than in reality.
