For the first time, a British RC-135 Rivet Joint has supported the United States Navy’s major 3-week air exercise, known as Exercise Resolute Hunter.
The aircraft flown by 51 Squadron at RAF Waddington supported the annual exercise in Nevada.
Previously, crews from 51 Squadron have flown in US Rivet Joint aircraft on the exercise, but this is the first time the Squadron has sent one of its own aircraft.
According to a Royal Air Force news release:
“The exercise was hosted by the Maritime Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Weapons Centre at Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada, USA. The RAF’s electronic surveillance aircraft worked with MH-60s, MQ-8C, P-8A, E-3G, RQ-4, U-2S, and ground elements on training areas over land and over the Pacific Ocean. After a short stop at Offutt Air Force Base (AFB), the home of 51 Squadron’s RJ partners the Fightin’ 55th, the aircraft crew met the rest of UK Rivet Joint enterprise at Fallon, which consisted of 51 Squadron, 1 ISR Wing, and 90 Signals Unit.
Fallon, and its surrounding rugged and mountainous terrain, is home to the United States Navy’s premier aviation range. It includes 13,000+ square miles of airspace, restricted areas and ranges. It is also home to several Navy Weapons Schools including the most famous – the Strike Fighter Weapons School, or, Top Gun. The exercise aimed to refine the crew’s Find, Fix, Track, Target, Engage and Assess skills and also provides an opportunity for 51 Squadron to reciprocate the co-crewing sorties that the USAF’s 55th Wing provide.
The exercise gave the squadron the opportunity to switch from its usual operational taskings to consider other environments, threats, and aircraft. This ensures that they retain the skills required to undertake a wide variety of missions in support of the UK’s intelligence requirements.”
The aftermath of the overnight drone attack on Kyiv
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Ukraine shot down three Russian Su-34 fighter bombers over the southern front on Friday morning, its air force said.
Russian Telegram accounts said the aircraft were shot down by Patriot anti-aircraft missiles near Ukraine’s Kherson bridgehead over the river Dnipro.
Oleksii Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s security council, said they had been “hunting” the three jets for a “long time”.
“These aircraft interfered and created danger for our soldiers,” he said.
The Su-34 is one of Russia’s most advanced aircraft and can carry out strikes on targets up to 600 miles away with a payload of 12 tons of bombs and missiles.
Each Su-34 is reported to cost somewhere between £28 million and £39 million
This is a result of hunting more of that equipment down calls like these thats going to win that war planes not easily replaced focus on AA hence the priority said on residential areas but that’s war ultimately sleep better thats a very good result looks be first couple days of a new say russian counter offensive this battle likky decide out come war either way
Thus uk is safer well I am lol I dunno about u sheep