An RAF Rivet Joint has been the first to complete a surveillance journey from NATO’s most southerly point in the Mediterranean to the Barents Sea in the high north, supported by the United States Air Force.
An RAF Rivet Joint has been the first to complete a surveillance journey from NATO’s most southerly point in the Mediterranean to the Barents Sea in the high north, supported by the United States Air Force.
An RAF Rivet Joint has been the first to complete a surveillance journey from NATO’s most southerly point in the Mediterranean to the Barents Sea in the high north, supported by the United States Air Force.
A noteworthy achievement with the aircraft launching from Souda Bay, in Greece, and transiting through multiple NATO partners’ airspace, including its newest member, Finland, up to the Barents Sea, prior to recovering to its home base; RAF Waddington.
The RC-135W Rivet Joint aircraft from 51 Squadron, forms part of the RAF’s Intelligence Surveillance Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance Force and has the ability to hoover up a huge amount of data which on-board crew analysts can quickly process, exploit and then disseminate high-priority information to air and ground units in real-time.
These aircraft are based on the old Boeing 707 airliners with different engines, the first RC135W - ZZ664 was delivered to the RAF on 12 November 2013. It entered operational service during the early part of 2014, taking part in Operation Shader against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The RAF has three of these aircraft, the second ZZ665 arrived in September 2015. The third ZZ666 was delivered in June 2017 and was most recently seen in the skies returning to its home base of RAF Waddington after completing a mission near the border of Ukraine. recently in the skies over Romania
It is unclear when these near-vintage aircraft will be retired, as this keeps being extended, Boeing currently has a contract to support the aircraft until 2035 at a minimum cost of £970 million. The four-engined jets will be just a little over 70 years old at that time and definitely nearing the very end of serviceability.
The Rivet Joint routinely conducts transits along the borders of individual NATO countries but completing it in one sortie demonstrates a projection of capability that puts the UK front and centre in the defence of NATO airspace alongside our US partners.
Officer Commanding 51 Squadron highlighted how beneficial it is to work closely with NATO allies: "Working directly with NATO allows our crews to practice the tactics, techniques and procedures required to support a large Combined Air Operation."
Highlighting the strength of the enduring alliance through the RAF’s continued interoperability and cooperation in NATO’s air domain, it reaffirms the UK’s relationships with the United States Air Force and our NATO allies – what better way to mark NATO’s 75th year!
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RC-135W Rivet Joint:
Powerplant: four 21,600lb st (96kN) CFM International F108-CF-201 turbofan engines
Length: 135ft (41.10m)
Height: 42ft (12.80m)
Wingspan: 131ft (39.90m)
Wing area: 2,433sqft (226.03m2)
Maximum take-off weight: around 297,000lb (133,633kg)
Maximum airspeed: 470kt (870km/h)
Range: around 3,900 miles (6,500km)
Service ceiling: 39,000ft
Crew: 2 pilots, 1 navigator and a Mission Crew configured for the task.