A British RC-135 surveillance aircraft joined an American RC-135 and an Italian G550 in conducting patrols over almost the entire length of the NATO border with Russia.
The RC-135W Rivet Joint and its sensors are designed to undertake ‘signals intelligence’ missions. In other words, they ‘soak up’ electronic emissions from communications, radars and other systems.
Two Rivet Joint RC-135, 🇺🇸 JAKE11 and 🇬🇧 RAF RRR7208, and the 🇮🇹 G5 AEW/SIGINT IAM1945 all departed within 90 minutes of each other. pic.twitter.com/OLGF0Y87E2
— JSLINT (@TheLimpCrane) February 9, 2023
As we need to post this each time, here’s the usual disclaimer. This isn’t a new occurrence. It is pretty routine. The UK has long been gathering intelligence about Russian forces since long before the invasion of Ukraine, and 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.
British surveillance aircraft being over the area isn’t unusual, but we are seeing a significant increase in the frequency of the flights over the last few months for obvious reasons.
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.
Not mentioned here but on Adsb you could also see a German aircraft in the baltic sea in front of Kaliningrad. The plane was of unknown type but departed from Nordholz which hints it might have been a P-3 Orion anti sub aircraft. The amount of surveillance around Kaliningrad is a bit suprising.
It is easier to overtly keep an eye on things rather than let something silly kick off and then try and contain that?
Not sure it’s too surprising, Kaliningrad is pretty strategically important.
I didn’t suggest it wasn’t.
An ASW plane would suggest that NATO was signalling that it knew a sub was being prepared for a mission.
That can be as simple as the thermal signature from cranking the reactor or diesels up, or even ELINT or even someone with binoculars watching storing of perishables!
The Baltic Fleet isn’t really much of a threat when it comes to submarines. There are no nuclear ones and just 1 older Kilo class. It can be reinforced via the Internal waterways but Kilos are pretty well the limit of that route. It’s just too confined and small for modern Submarine operations unless you are using small stealthy AIP that are specially designed for it. Russia doesn’t have anything like the German or Swedish boats. Even a Kilo is big in the Baltic. MPA do not just do ASW, I’d suspect what they are keeping an eye on are… Read more »
Ok I was clearly wrong about nuclear subs there. For some odd reason I thought they did at one time.
In their prime the Kilo’s were much feared.
I agree the Russian conventional subs don’t exactly have NATO grade anything these days!
Believe any increased tempo of surveillance sorties is directly correlated w/ tempo of Russian activity in UKR, especially the Donbas. Is the pace sustainable over an extended timeframe?
Time to get as much kit across the borders as possible. Russian offensive has ‘definitely’ started, Ukrainian official says “A major Russian offensive that Ukraine predicted the Kremlin would launch before the first anniversary of the war has started, Ukrainian officials have said. Asked on Ukrainian television if he agreed that the offensive had already begun, Pavlo Krylenko, governor of the eastern Donetsk region, said: “Yes, definitely.” Around eastern towns such as Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Vuhledar that have witnessed some of the bloodiest battles of the war, “the enemy’s forces and means are escalating there with daily intensity”, Mr Krylenko… Read more »
“French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu and his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksiy Reznikov signed a contract with Thales for the delivery of a short-range air-defence system.
Under the contract, Thales will supply its Ground Master 200 (GM200) radar as well as a command-and-control (C2) centre, a radio communications system, and air target designators to Ukraine, the company announced on 1 February.”
I once found myself in an RAF recruiting centre enquiring about Air Electronics Operators. Had my eyesight been better I might have ended up on Nimrod R1’s, what an experience that would have been!
I still think that AirSeeker sounds better than Rivet Joint (a silly computer generated name).
I don’t think they had computer generated names in the early 60’s. Rivet Amber, Brass etc etc.
It would be generated just like we did used Blue, Green, and another word to make a name or code word.
Blue Danube, Red Beard,Blue Steel, Yellow Sun etc.
Apparently, so I read once, our random names for ops get generated by a computer within PINDAR. True or not, no idea.
Military Ops and designations now there is a subject you could write a book on. I’m not sure they are computer generated when you look at some of our Ops codes Corporate, Granby, Telic etc. The US really don’t do subterfuge or subtle. Dessert Storm, Shield, Deny Flight and Provide Comfort etc. Conversely they don’t use plain, simple English for important things. US “Incoming” = Hit the dirt, British “Duck” = ….. US “Freindly Fire” = Oops sorry we thought you were the enemy, even though you are right next to us and facing in the direction of the enemy.… Read more »
Rivet Joint is surely not an early 60’s system?
We’ll sort of the airframe is a modified KC-135 Stratotanker which was in turn a tanker version of the C-135 Stratolifter first flown in 1956.
The RC-135 was ordered in 1962 as a modification and designated RC-135A as it was based on the KC-135A
They have been updated, rebuilt, re engined etc etc.
Our 3 were converted from the newest examples in the USAF fleet
They were built in 1964 and should go through to 2045.
Thanks. Now I follow the comment. But the Rivet Joint name did not come about in the 60s.
If the RAF operated the WC-135 would it be the AirSniffer instead of Constant Phoenix? 😛
Airsniffer reminds me of “Snoopy” the old RAF Weather Research Herc.
That was a very unique aircraft.! It looks like it could be used as a ballon jousting aircraft now!
Ha! Good one, I can see it now, rather dangerous though. 😁
I like it!