12/20/2023 0 Comments Cobra ball vs rivet jointThis aircraft is used for strategic reconnaissance. A total of 10 aircraft were converted from the RC-135B and equipped with an electronic intelligence system (ELINT), as well as many cameras and other special equipment. When mission equipment was installed it was redesigned as the RC-135C. This aircraft was never used operationally. This however does not have mission equipment installed. RC-135B, a total of 10 of these aircraft were delivered. In the early 1980s, this was further converted into a tanker and designated as KC-135D. RC-135A aircraft are converted into transport aircraft and used to transport staff. Its mission was immediately taken over by satellite. The Boeing RC-135A is a real photo mapping airplane. All of this results in various designations, configurations, and program names. Many of these aircraft have been modified and upgraded several times by various companies. Since the early 1960s a total of 32 different variants were developed, the newest of which is still under development. This record makes the Boeing RC-135 the model with the longest unfortunate presence in the US Air Force. It is an impressive fact that the RC-135 was never destroyed by enemy forces, even though it took part (and still is) in operations such as Desert Storm, Desert Shield, Northern Watch, Southern Watch, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Two more RC-135s crashed in the 1980s, both due to bad weather conditions. It is the largest and heaviest RC-135 ever built. That same year, an airplane named Rivet Amber, departing from the same base, crashed in the Pacific. Even so, many of its parts are used as replacement parts for other aircraft of the same model. During the landing, the aircraft was severely damaged and was declared irreparable. In 1969, heavy snowfall caused an emergency landing at Shemya Air Force Base in Alaska. The Boeing RC-135 aircraft has been in use for over 50 years, so it's no surprise that there have been several accidents. The engines were manufactured by the French-American company CFM International, a joint venture of US-based General Electrics and French aircraft company Safran. The aircraft is powered by four F-108-CF-201 turbofan engines with a traction force of 95 kN each. Its maximum takeoff weight is 146 metric tons, which makes it one of the largest aircraft. So it's no wonder the RC-135 can carry a lot of payload. This reconnaissance aircraft is a derivative of the C-135 Stratolifter transport aircraft. There are also a number of antennas on the fuselage. The RC-135 can be easily identified by the "thimble" nose radome and cheek fairing that protrudes from the front fuselage. Among them 3 are pilots, 2 navigators, and the rest are various intelligence gathering specialists, systems operators, in-flight maintenance technicians and air linguists. The RC-135 is operated by a crew of up to 27-32 members, depending on the mission. This reconnaissance aircraft has the capability of gathering, analyzing and disseminating intelligence on the scene in real-time. It can operate at the theater, or at the country level. These aircraft collect electronic and signal intelligence around the world. Recently one of them went on a mission against ISIS. The Royal Air Force operates a small number of these aircraft. All of these reconnaissance aircraft are assigned to Air Combat Command, and often operate from US bases or use various forward deployment sites around the world. Currently 22 units are still in the US Air Force's inventory. A total of 32 airframes of this type of aircraft were built. The US Air Force has used this aircraft since 1962 and has since been used in every of their military operations, starting from the Vietnam War. Britain, which is the only country outside the US to use the RC-135, plans to use the aircraft until 2045. This aircraft remains one of the USAF's most important strategic reconnaissance assets. Although the Boeing RC-135 has been in use for more than half a century, its operators plan to keep using it for several more decades. This is referred to by the Boeing company as the Model 739. This reconnaissance aircraft was adopted by the US Air Force in 1962 as the RC-135. The Boeing RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft was developed by Boeing in the early 60's from the C-135 Stratolifter.
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