No Confirmation Of U.S. Fighter Jet Over Venezuelan Airspace, Flight Tracking Data Sparks False Alarm

Update (2144ET):

Flightradar24’s software-generated estimate of the U.S. military F/A-18E Super Hornet (RHINO51) initially showed the aircraft’s flight path entering Venezuelan airspace. The data has since shown that this was not the case.

“The black dashed line is an ESTIMATED position based on a few variables and is not the actual track, which on @flightradar24 is shown as a blue line,” X account OSINT noted. 

No.

The black dashed line is an ESTIMATED position based on a few variables and is not the actual track, which on @flightradar24 is shown as a blue line. https://t.co/2FzucIEIba

— TheIntelFrog (@TheIntelFrog) December 13, 2025

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The flight-tracking website Flightradar24 reports that a U.S. military F/A-18E Super Hornet (RHINO51) entered Venezuelan airspace near the country’s northern coast just moments ago.

It appears RHINO51 switched off its transponder. More than 113,000 Flightradar24 users tracked the aircraft.

The U.S. military has not confirmed that the fighter jet entered Venezuelan airspace.

Here’s what OSINT folks on X are saying:

🚨✈️ Contacto cercano confirmado

F/A-18E Super Hornet (U.S. Navy)
📛 Callsign: RHINO51
📍 Trayectoria directa hacia costa norte de Venezuela (eje Curazao–Coro)

Patrón indica push táctico bajo cobertura previa AWACS (E-2D).
No es tránsito: es presencia activa y control del… pic.twitter.com/iGn9kWeOug

— CR🗽 (@CR23AR) December 13, 2025

BREAKING: U.S. aircraft RHINO51 has entered Venezuelan airspace. pic.twitter.com/mldErkXie5

— World Source News (@Worldsource24) December 13, 2025

Pude contabilizar al menos cinco aviones de la Fuerza Aérea de los Estados Unidos sobrevolando las costas de Venezuela.

Uno aparentemente habría entrado a territorio venezolano (RHINO51). Otro está sobrevolando Los Roques.

Van apagando su radar. pic.twitter.com/1gyDMDse0y

— Agustín Antonetti (@agusantonetti) December 13, 2025

Hours ago, President Trump said, “It’s not only land strikes on Venezuela, it’s land strikes on horrible people that are bringing in drugs and killing our people you know If we were at war and we lost 200–300 thousand… that’s a war.” 

President Trump: “It’s not only land strikes on Venezuela, it’s land strikes on horrible people that are bringing in drugs and killing our people you know If we were at war and we lost 200–300 thousand… that’s a war.” pic.twitter.com/PVMymgWaCh

— CSPAN (@cspan) December 12, 2025

*Developing…