Pensacola Fishing Charter Recovered a U.S. Military Drone Off Florida Coast

# What happened A Pensacola fishing charter, Hot Spots Charters, found a U.S. military drone floating offshore on Saturday while on a regular outing. Captain Daniel Arsenault posted about the discovery on the company's social media account, writing, "Great 6-hour today with this crew! If anyone is looking for their drone please call Hot Spots."

# Where it was found

# Official response and context A spokesperson for Eglin AFB told The War Zone that the base recently lost a drone during testing. The spokesperson did not confirm whether the drone recovered by Hot Spots Charters is the same one mentioned by the base.

Media outlets including CNN reported on the charter's find and the subsequent pickup by authorities. Related coverage notes the recovered drone has been described as resembling a Shahed-136 clone, though the Patch report itself says the drone is believed to be a clone of the Iranian-designed Shahed-136 and cites CNN for that detail.

# What we know about the recovery

• The charter crew discovered the drone while operating offshore and posted about it on social media.
• Local authorities or personnel in black SUVs arrived and removed the drone about two hours after the post.
• Eglin AFB acknowledged a recent testing loss but stopped short of linking it directly to the recovered drone.

# Why the location matters Eglin AFB is home to the 96th Test Wing, the Air Force's largest test and evaluation wing. Its responsibilities include testing air-delivered weapons and related systems. The recovered drone was found in proximity to this base, which provides plausible context for a lost test aircraft being found in nearby waters.

# What's unanswered

• Definitive identification: Eglin AFB did not confirm the recovered drone's identity in the public comments cited in the Patch report.
• Chain of custody and investigation results: The Patch story notes authorities retrieved the drone quickly but does not provide follow-up information on any investigation or technical findings.

# Practical takeaways for the public If you encounter unusual equipment or suspected military hardware on public waterways, avoid handling it beyond taking a photo and contacting local authorities. In this case, the charter crew secured the find long enough to post online and then allowed authorities to collect the device.

# Short summary A Pensacola fishing charter found a floating military drone near Eglin AFB, posted about it on social media, and reported that federal or military personnel recovered the craft a few hours later. Eglin AFB confirmed it had lost a drone during testing recently but didn't publicly tie that event directly to the recovered device.