A Royal Air Force RC-135W Rivet Joint electronic surveillance aircraft has conducted a patrol circling the Russian territory of Kaliningrad.
These flights form part of regular allied intelligence-gathering missions along NATO’s eastern frontier. The UK has carried out such patrols for years, maintaining a persistent watch on Russian military activity well before the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Rivet Joint missions are designed to be overt and their tracks are visible on civilian flight monitoring platforms, providing transparency about the aircraft’s presence and allowing observers to verify the frequency of operations in the area.
Although British surveillance activity over the Baltic Sea was always routine, the tempo of such flights has increased noticeably amid the continuing conflict in Ukraine. U.S. reconnaissance aircraft are also active in the region as part of coordinated NATO intelligence and deterrence efforts.
What does the RC-135W do?
According to the Royal Air Force website, the RC-135W Rivet Joint is a dedicated electronic surveillance aircraft that can be employed in all theatres on strategic and tactical missions. Its sensors ‘soak up’ electronic emissions from communications, radar and other systems.
“RC-135W Rivet Joint employs multidiscipline Weapons System Officer (WSO) and Weapons System Operator (WSOp) specialists whose mission is to survey elements of the electromagnetic spectrum in order to derive intelligence for commanders.”
The Royal Air Force say that Rivet Joint has been deployed extensively for Operation Shader and on other operational taskings. It had been formally named Airseeker, but is almost universally known in service as the RC-135W Rivet Joint. The UK operates three of these aircraft.
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