A Royal Air Force RC-135 surveillance aircraft was deployed today to monitor Russian forces in occupied Ukraine.
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.
This isn’t new
This isn’t a new occurrence—in fact, it is quite routine. The UK has been gathering intelligence about Russian forces since long before the invasion of Ukraine. 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.
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.
If Ukraine is supplied with intelligence and targeting data from these missions. It could easily be viewed as an act of war and the Rivet Joint becoming a target. But then again, giving them weapons with which to kill Russian troops, is also an act of war in Russian eyes.
We are playing a dangerous game and as you say. These are just the moves visible to the public.
As in all proxy wars the risks are well known. I guess that is why the Germans are so cautious. This is either going two ways to me. Stalemate, or a change in regime with a Russian friendly government in Ukraine. I do not see a change in Russia coming soon. The propaganda from all sides gets more desperate by the day.
War is a game of numbers……. Russia has the upper hand…. Putin has the hand firmly in his grip……. Russian Men will pay a hefty price to help him keep his grip…… nothing will help Ukraine loosen his grip short of a Nato intervention…… Just take a look at a typical Youtube clip of a Tank being destroyed…. You will see vast tracts of land absolutely peppered with Craters, just like the WW1 battlefields……. Lambs to the Slaughter and the Elite will suffer not.
I think there are other potential outcomes but very few favourable. None of them worth the death and destruction of the past 2 -10 years. A stalemate, partition of territory and a new Iron Curtain. Is in my humble opinion the most likely of them all. Propaganda be damned! We all know what the worse case scenario could be. Seeing if the Russian nuclear weapons are as badly maintained as their tanks. Neither Ukraine or Russia is worth WWIII. If Ukraine wants to remain an independent country and master of it’s post communist destiny. It will need to concede all… Read more »
Concur that a partition and ceasefire is the probable outcome, after both sides have been bled white and are utterly exhausted by this conflict. Difficult to predict now precisely where the partition line will be drawn. Actually not an entirely unfavorable outcome for the West. The majority of Ukraine will eventually join EU and NATO. Cold War Redux already underway. Two armed camps maintaining significant inventories of nuclear weapons. What could possibly go wrong in this scenario? 🤔😉
This stuff has been going on since before the Cold War…… Rivets have been doing this since before Putin actioned his “Special Operation”……. Get yourself on to Flight Radar…. you’ll see way more than just RJ’s doing it…. and that’s just the stuff that is Visible.. ie, Transponders on….. panic yee not !
I know that Frank but if Vladimir Vladimirovich want’s to escalate things and call NATOs bluff. He could quite easily. Likewise if Ukrainian militias want to escalate. They could also take it down with a S300 and blame Russia. Just like a certain civilian passenger jet.
All correct Frank scratch a little deeper and you see all sorts. ADSB a good tool. Amazing how many aircraft take of reach a cruising altitude then disappear. Particularly from Souda Bay, Italy, Romania and others. US rivets of many flavours also. Early on I saw Artemis flying over Poland. Also US P8 have been seen, nothing strange there. Apart from some are from VPU 2. Shame we did not explore buying those variants. Some of these flights are obviously training and ELINT come trials of new kit. Nearly all drones are of grid now. Some of this could and… Read more »
Hmmm…based upon flight track data depicted in the article, NATO could take a decidedly dim view of the shoot down of a RAF asset flying w/in sovereign Romanian airspace. Might even tend to arouse NATO’s competitive spirit. 🤔
Hell yes. Tape measures would be dusted off and readied for action.