A Royal Air Force RC-135 Rivet Joint has been refuelled by a United States Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker on recent operations.

A Royal Air Force RC-135 Rivet Joint has been refuelled by a United States Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker on recent operations.

The Rivet Joint is a dedicated electronic surveillance aircraft that is widely employed on military operations to monitor, collect, and analyse selected communications and radar signals.

They are flown by 51 Squadron who are based at RAF Waddington and are part of the RAF's Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) Force.   The aircraft have also recently been refuelled by a French Air Force C-135FR Stratotanker, demonstrating the ongoing interoperability of NATO aircraft on operations. Integration with the French Air Force shows support to the Combined Joint Expeditionary Force, which is an Anglo-French military force.

Air Marshal Harvey Smyth, Deputy Commander (Operations) said:  "The ISTAR Force has been exceptionally busy throughout this last year, particularly our Rivet Joint capability, which has been operating at almost 200% from previous norms. Flying from the Barents, via the Baltics, Eastern Flank, into the Black Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean, our ability to collect intelligence data, and process it at pace has proved vital, and has been right at the very heart of intelligence provision for NATO."

Like the United States Air Force’s KC-135, the RAF’s Voyager aircraft regularly delivers fuel to partner nation forces to extend the duration and range of the flights.

RAF intelligence gathering aircraft joins large-scale US-led demonstration Exercise in Europe

An RAF Waddington-based intelligence-gathering aircraft has taken part in a major US-led demonstration exercise in Europe with other European NATO Allies.

An RC-135W Rivet Joint aircraft from 51 Squadron, which is part of the RAF’s Intelligence Surveillance Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance Force (ISTAR Force), took part in the exercise. The Rivet Joint aircraft joined other aircraft from the US Air Force, US Navy, and The Royal Netherlands Air Force to conduct two exercise scenarios.

The US-led exercise is designed to test and demonstrate the ability of the US forces and their NATO allies, including the UK, to integrate the command and control procedures needed to work together. The US have designated this exercise as a ‘Joint All-Domain Command and Control Demonstration’ activity, meaning that the activities are aimed at showing that US and NATO Allies are able to integrate Air, Maritime, Land, Cyber and Space activities into a coordinated exercise to rehearse possible future operations.

    “Conducting a complex and real-world focused Joint All-Domain Command and Control Demonstration allowed our joint and allied team to find areas where we can innovate with systems we already have and also to identify areas where our warfighters need assistance from the Air and Space Forces’ Chief Architect’s Office,”

    General Jeff Harrigian

    Commander, United States Air Forces in Europe