The visits of the Boeing RC-135W Rivet Joint to the Black Sea region are associated with the imminent appearance of the F-16 in Ukraine

Recently, large strategic reconnaissance aircraft of the RC-135 family have appeared twice over the Black Sea, that is, “in the vicinity” of the Ukrainian conflict. On June 28, a Boeing RC-135W Rivet Joint of the US Air Force flew in, and on July 1, a similar aircraft from the British Air Force, also known as Airseeker, visited the Black Sea region with an escort. Considering the demonstrated activity of countries unfriendly to Russia, we became interested in finding out what these aircraft can do and what their capabilities are.

The Boeing RC-135W Rivet Joint has a maximum take-off weight of over 130 tons. There are 25 people on board: a flight crew of 2 pilots and a navigator, as well as a special crew of 22 weapons systems officers and weapons system operators. Officers perform high-level tasks and supervise operators involved in highly specialized procedures. A linguist may be present among the officers to provide quick on-site translation of intercepted radio communications.



The aircraft is designed to conduct radio and electronic reconnaissance of ground, sea and air-based radiation sources in a wide (cm/dm/m) wavelength range. During the Cold War, he monitored Soviet air defense systems and monitored launches of USSR ICBMs. Used in all US military operations. Now it is used to a greater extent to reveal the intentions of enemy aviation and air defense.

The onboard equipment will allow interaction with the Boeing E-3 Sentry airborne early warning (AWACS) aircraft (AWACS). A map of the air situation is received on board the RC-135W Rivet Joint, it is supplemented with radio and electronic intelligence data, and then returned in an updated form to the E-3 Sentry, which allows you to quickly respond to threats from enemy air defense systems and aircraft.

A pair of large oblong fairings on the sides of the front fuselage houses the AEELS automatic electronic reconnaissance radar system. The aircraft is also equipped with the MUCELS multi-channel radio reconnaissance communications system. The extended nose section, behind the nose radar, houses the AN/AMQ-15 weather reconnaissance system in the fairing. At the rear there are teardrop-shaped fairings of the AN/APR-17 Have Siren - jammers for missiles and airborne missiles with IR-seeker. There are also cigar-shaped fairings above the nozzles of all four engines, which housed the AN/APR-17 Have Siren infrared jammers, protecting against heat-seeking anti-aircraft guided missiles. The lower surface of the fuselage is “studded” with a large number of different antennas (from nose to tail).

Probably, the current activity of the Boeing RC-135W Rivet Joint is connected with the appearance in the near future of a certain number of F-16s in Ukraine. A spy plane can significantly reduce the risk for Ukrainian Armed Forces fighters from attacks from the Russian Armed Forces. Therefore, the Americans and the British hone their skills and train in an environment as close as possible to combat.