NATO and the United Kingdom have carried out a routine, visible intelligence-gathering presence over the Black Sea in recent hours, with surveillance aircraft operating at the same time on opposite sides of the Black Sea
Open-source flight tracking showed a NATO Boeing E-3A Sentry and an RAF RC-135W Rivet Joint conducting long-duration patrols. The NATO E-3A was observed on the western side of the Black Sea, the RC-135 on the eastern side. Such sorties are a routine feature of NATO and UK operations in the region.
The RAF’s RC-135W Rivet Joint is a dedicated electronic surveillance aircraft designed to collect intelligence from the electromagnetic spectrum. According to the Royal Air Force, the platform can be employed on both strategic and tactical missions, with onboard systems capable of absorbing emissions from communications networks, radar systems and other electronic sources.
The aircraft is crewed by specialist Weapons System Officers and Weapons System Operators, whose role is to analyse signals in real time and derive intelligence that can be passed directly to commanders. The Rivet Joint has been deployed extensively on operations including Operation Shader, and while the aircraft was formally named Airseeker, it is almost universally known in service by its Rivet Joint designation. The UK operates three RC-135W aircraft.
The NATO E-3A Sentry forms part of the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force, providing alliance-wide air surveillance and battle management. The E-3A Component is one of NATO’s two operational units under the NAEW&CF structure and remains one of the alliance’s most significant multinational aviation capabilities. Its mission is to provide airspace surveillance and command-and-control support, operating on behalf of NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe and under the direction of the North Atlantic Council. NATO’s E-3A fleet consists of 14 aircraft supported by a multinational workforce of around 1,400 personnel, with crews drawn from 19 NATO member states.
It should be noted that these flights are designed to be visible so that the public and Russia know they’re happening. If it were a secret, I would not know. Also, for those remarking, ‘this isn’t new’, that’s right, but people only know this often happens because it is reported often.
