All of them are deployed with the Air Combat Command and, when not flying out of forward operating locations, based at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. Presently, there are just 17 of them in active service with the U.S. The plane can fly for as much as 3,900 miles (6,500 km) at altitudes that can reach 50,000 feet (15,240 meters). was involved in since the 1960s, including Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, the Iraq wars, and so on. Its crew is made up of up to 30 people, depending on mission requirements, meaning the pilots, electronic warfare officers, intelligence operators, and in-flight maintenance technicians.ĭespite being very discreet, the Rivet Joint took part in absolutely “every sizable armed conflict” the U.S. Air Force, the Rivet Joint is able to “detect, identify and geolocate signals throughout the electromagnetic spectrum” using a variety of sensors. Not boasting significant changes compared to the base plane when it comes to technical specification, this one does play an entirely different game when it comes to gadgetry.Īccording to the U.S. The RC-135 is permanently based at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., and operated by the 55th Wing, using various forward deployment locations worldwide.Based on the Boeing C-135, the Rivet Joint was born back in 1961 as a means to support military operations through surveillance and reconnaissance missions. RC-135s have maintained a constant presence in Southwest Asia since the early 1990s.Īll RC-135s are assigned to Air Combat Command. RC-135s were present supporting operations in Vietnam, the Mediterranean for Operation El Dorado Canyon, Grenada for Operation Urgent Fury, Panama for Operation Just Cause, and Southwest Asia for operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Initially employed by Strategic Air Command to satisfy nationally tasked intelligence collection requirements, the RC-135 fleet has also participated in every sizable armed conflict involving U.S. The current RC-135 fleet is the latest iteration of modifications to this pool of -135 aircraft going back to 1962. These standards include conversion from analog readouts to a digital "glass cockpit" configuration.Īll Rivet Joint airframe and mission systems modifications are overseen by L-3 Communications (previously Raytheon), under the oversight of Air Force Materiel Command. The Rivet Joint fleet was re-engined with CFM-56 engines with an upgraded flight deck instrumentation and navigational systems to FAA/ICAO standards. The interior seats more than 30 people, including the cockpit crew, electronic warfare officers, intelligence operators and in-flight maintenance technicians. The mission crew can then forward gathered information in a variety of formats to a wide range of consumers via Rivet Joint's extensive communications suite. The Rivet Joint's modifications are primarily related to its on-board sensor suite, which allows the mission crew to detect, identify and geolocate signals throughout the electromagnetic spectrum. The aircraft is an extensively modified C-135. The RC-135V/W Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft supports theater and national level consumers with near real time on-scene intelligence collection, analysis and dissemination capabilities.
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