"SOAK UP" EYES AND EARS OF THE RAF RC-135W RIVET JOINT ZZ666 • RAF WADDINGTON

The RAF's RC-135W RIVET JOINT is the Eyes and Ears in the sky and provides British and NATO military commanders with critical information about activity on the ground, in the air, and at sea. The sensors "SOAK UP" electronic emissions from communications, radar and other systems.

Based at RAF Waddington and flying 51 Squadron and 54 Squadron, it forms the UK Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) and the main operating base for airborne intelligence aircraft and 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.

51 Squadron formed in 1916 at Thetford, were the only RAF Squadron to receive the Nimrod R1. The squadron received the Rivet Joint in 2013. They developed from the 1960s, as a specialist in collecting electronic intelligence; former aircraft include the Whitley, Lincoln, Canberra, Comet and Nimrod R1. Now, the Squadron is a key support to Coalition efforts on Operation Shader.

54 Squadron is the OCU (Operational Conversion Unit) for the ISTAR and have had this role since 2015.

When it flew its Model 367-80 ‘Dash 80’ prototype for the first time on July 15th, 1954, Boeing hoped the aircraft would take the airlines by storm. Extrapolating technology used on the B-47 and B-52 jet bombers, the aircraft represented a quantum leap directly into the jet age compared to the company’s piston-engined Model 367 Stratocruiser. With its swept wing and fourjet powerplant, carried in discrete underwing nacelles, the Dash 80 was the most modern commercial transport available. Check out the full Rivet Joint history here:
https://www.raf.mod.uk/aircraft/airse...

Ted Stats
Name: RC-135W RIVET JOINT
Powerplant: four 21,600lb st (96kN) CFM International F108-CF-201 turbofan engines
Length: 135ft (41.10m)
Height: 42ft (12.80m)
Wingspan: 131ft (39.90m)
Wing area: 2,433sqft (226.03m2)
Maximum take-off weight: around 297,000lb (133,633kg)
Maximum airspeed: 470kt (870km/h)
Range: around 3,900 miles (6,500km)
Service ceiling: 39,000ft
Crew: 2 pilots, 1 navigator and a Mission Crew configured for the task.

RAF Waddington
https://www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisati...

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