The RC-135 Rivet Joint cheek fairings house some of the primary Electronic INTelligence (ELINT) side-facing antennas that are part of the Automatic ELINT Emitter Locator System (AEELS).
Each of the 55th Wing's aircraft types undertakes a unique mission, for example, the three RC-135S Cobra Ball aircraft flown by the 45th Reconnaissance Squadron carry out TELemetry INTelligence (TELINT).
Combat Sent aircraft are believed to be fitted with the Expert Mission Manager (EMM) system. An automated system that provides fast ELINT collection of short transmission and 'hard-to-collect' signals emitted from supposedly 'secure' communication systems. EMM operates in real-time validating and re-identifying ELINT signals against a number of collected ELINT signal databases.
Each RC-135U Combat Sent are fitted with fairings in the wingtip which house sensors for the Precision Power Measurement System.
In 1976, the first Rivet Joint aircraft, RC-135V 64-14848, was fitted with the fully automated Multiple position COMINT Emitter Location System (MUCELS), which is standard throughout the fleet and is used to collect communication intelligence across a wide frequency band. The most visible component of the MUCELS is the 'antenna farm' of large plate aerials on the underside of the fuselage.
RC-135W 62-4126 was the last aircraft to be converted to Rivet Joint configuration by L-3 at Greenville in Texas. Conversion was complete by November 2006.
RC-135S Cobra Ball 61-2663.
On March 12, 2008 RC-135W 62-4132 - seen here on the Offutt AFB flight line (second from the left) - was the first C-135 aircraft to reach 50,000 flight hours.
Unlike the Rivet Joint, the RC-135U does not have the 'thimble' nose but is fitted with fairings in the chin, wingtip, tailcone and fin-top to house the Precision Power Measurement System sensors, with a 360° coverage.
Rivet Joint crew board RC-135W 62-4139 at Offutt AFB.
The TF33-powered OC-135B has extensive modifications that centre on four cameras installed in the rear of the aircraft to support the international Open Skies Treaty, which came into force on January 1, 2002.
The aircraft Captain discusses the flight with the co-pilot and navigator.
The RC-135 Rivet Joint is divided into three compartments; the flight deck; the Raven compartment which is the forward reconnaissance section used for the ELINT mission; and the operators' compartment which is the aft reconnaissance section used for the COMINT mission shown in this picture.
