RC-135 Rivet Joint

RC-135 Rivet Joint taking off (larger version)

The RC-135V/W Rivet Joint is a United States Air Force reconnaissance aircraft used to support theater and national level consumers with near real-time on-scene intelligence collection, analysis and dissemination capabilities.

The aircraft is an extensively modified C-135 (the military version of the Boeing 707). 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 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 interior seats 32 people, including the cockpit crew, electronic warfare officers, intelligence operators and in-flight maintenance technicians.

The Rivet Joint fleet is currently undergoing significant airframe, navigational and powerplant upgrades which include re-engining from the TF-33[?] to the CFM-56[?] engines used on the KC-135R[?] and upgrade of the flight deck instrumentation and navigational systems to the AMP standard[?]. The AMP standard includes conversion from analog readouts to a digital "glass cockpit[?]" configuration.

All Rivet Joint airframe[?] and mission systems modifications are overseen by L3[?]'s, formerly Raytheon�s, Greenville, Texas facility, under the oversight of the Air Force Material Command[?].

The current RC-135 fleet is the latest iteration of modifications to this pool of �135 aircraft going back to 1964. 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. assets during its tenure. 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 Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. RC-135s have maintained a constant presence in both Southwest Asia and in the area of the Balkans since the early 1990s.

All RC-135s are assigned to Air Combat Command. The RC-135 is permanently based at Offutt Air Force Base[?], Nebraska and operated by the 55th Wing[?], using various forward deployment locations worldwide.

General Characteristics

• Primary Function: Reconnaissance
• Contractor: Raytheon
• Power Plant: Four Pratt and Whitney TF33-P-5 turbofans
• Thrust: 16,050 pounds each engine
• Unrefueled Range: 3,900 miles (6,500 kilometers)
• Length: 135 feet (41.1 meters)
• Height: 42 feet (12.8 meters)
• Maximum Takeoff Weight: 297,000 pounds (133,633 kilograms)
• Wingspan: 131 feet (39.9 meters)
• Speed: 500+ miles per hour (Mach 0.66)
• Flight Crew: Five (augmented) - three pilots, two navigators
• Mission flight crew: 21-27, depending on mission requirements, minimum consisting of three electronic warfare officers, 14 intelligence operators and four inflight/airborne maintenance technicians
• Date Deployed: Initial RC-135 conversions from 1964-1968; V/W configurations, 1981
• Inventory: Active force, 14; Reserve, 0; Guard, 0