What Is The Boeing RC-135W ‘Rivet Joint’ & Who Flies It?

Summary The RC-135 ‘Rivet Joint’ aircraft provides on-scene intelligence collection for theater and national level consumers. With a crew of 27-30, the RC-135 has a range of 3,900 miles and is equipped with SIGINT and ELINT capabilities. Used in various military operations, the US Air Force plans to keep the Rivet Joint airframe in service until 2040. The RC-135W 'Rivet Joint' aircraft is a reconnaissance jet whose mission, according to the official US Air Force fact sheet, is "to provide theater and national level consumers with near real-time on-scene intelligence collection, analysis, and dissemination capabilities." RC-135W are built by Boeing,…