It was an inevitable victim of Britain’s recent Strategic Defence and Security Review As a result of that review, Britain is cutting its $59 billion defense budget by 8 percent in real terms over four years to address budget deficits. The Nimrod MRA.4, only one of which has flown, has been plagued by delays, cost overruns, and contract re-negotiations. 51 Squadron in Afghanistan.īritain is also canceling nine Nimrod MRA.4 maritime reconnaissance aircraft. The plan remains in effect despite Britain’s recently announced defense cuts that include retirement by March 2011 of the remaining two Nimrod R.1s (of three built) that have been providing electronic intelligence (ELINT) with No. The plan for the RAF to operate three Rivet Joints was finalized in a March 19, 2010, Anglo-American agreement. Now, plans are shaping up for Britain’s Royal Air Force to have its own RC-135Ws, manned by British crews and flying in British colors. The RC-135 is permanently based at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., and operated by the 55th Wing, using various forward deployment locations worldwide.The Boeing RC-135V/W Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft – using the same airframe as the KC-135 Stratotanker – is a familiar sight at overseas bases and along the borders of countries the United States wants to learn more about. RC-135s have maintained a constant presence in Southwest Asia since the early 1990s.Īll RC-135s are assigned to Air Combat Command. RC-135s were present supporting operations in Vietnam, the Mediterranean for Operation El Dorado Canyon, Grenada for Operation Urgent Fury, Panama for Operation Just Cause, and Southwest Asia for operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Initially employed by Strategic Air Command to satisfy nationally tasked intelligence collection requirements, the RC-135 fleet has also participated in every sizable armed conflict involving U.S. The current RC-135 fleet is the latest iteration of modifications to this pool of -135 aircraft going back to 1962. These standards include conversion from analog readouts to a digital "glass cockpit" configuration.Īll Rivet Joint airframe and mission systems modifications are overseen by L-3 Communications (previously Raytheon), under the oversight of Air Force Materiel Command. The Rivet Joint fleet was re-engined with CFM-56 engines with an upgraded flight deck instrumentation and navigational systems to FAA/ICAO standards. The interior seats more than 30 people, including the cockpit crew, electronic warfare officers, intelligence operators and in-flight maintenance technicians. The mission crew can then forward gathered information in a variety of formats to a wide range of consumers via Rivet Joint's extensive communications suite. The Rivet Joint's modifications are primarily related to its on-board sensor suite, which allows the mission crew to detect, identify and geolocate signals throughout the electromagnetic spectrum. The aircraft is an extensively modified C-135. The RC-135V/W Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft supports theater and national level consumers with near real time on-scene intelligence collection, analysis and dissemination capabilities.
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