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The RC-135V/W Rivet Joint is a United States Air Force reconnaissance aircraft used to support theater and national level consumers with near real-time on-scene intelligence collection, analysis and dissemination capabilities.

The aircraft is an extensively modified C-135 (the military version of the Boeing 707). The Rivet Joint's modifications are primarily related to its on-board sensor suite, which allows the mission crew to detect, identify and geolocate signals throughout the electromagnetic spectrum. The mission crew can then forward gathered information in a variety of formats to a wide range of consumers via Rivet Joint's extensive communications suite.

The interior seats 32 people, including the cockpit crew, electronic warfare officers, intelligence operators and in-flight maintenance technicians.

The Rivet Joint fleet is currently undergoing significant airframe, navigational and powerplant upgrades which include re-engining from the TF-33 to the CFM-56 engines used on the KC-135 Stratotanker and upgrade of the flight deck instrumentation and navigational systems to the AMP standard . The AMP standard includes conversion from analog readouts to a digital " glass cockpit" configuration.

All Rivet Joint airframe and mission systems modifications are overseen by L3's, formerly Raytheon’s, Greenville, TexasGreenville is a city located in Hunt County, Texas. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 23,960. It is the county seat of Hunt County 6. Geography Greenville is located at 33°7'34" North, 96°6'35" West (33. 126004, -96. According to t facility, under the oversight of the Air Force Materiel Command .

The current RC-135 fleet is the latest iteration of modifications to this pool of aircraft going back to 1964Events January January 1 Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. January 3 Senator Barry Goldwater announces that he will seek the Republican nomination for President. January 5 In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Ort. Initially employed by Strategic Air CommandThe Strategic Air Command or SAC was the branch of the United States Air Force in charge of America's non-submarine-based nuclear arsenal, the bombers used to deliver these weapons, and the refueling tankers needed to refuel said bombers. Established in M to satisfy nationally tasked intelligence collection requirements, the RC-135 fleet has also participated in every sizable armed conflict involving U.S. assets during its tenure. RC-135s were present supporting operations in VietnamThe Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a country in Southeast Asia. It borders China, Laos, Cambodia, and the Gulf of Tonkin. Cng Hoa Xa Hi Ch Nghia Vit Nam ( In Detail) (Full size) National motto: Dc lp, t do, hnh phuc (Independence, Liberty, Happiness Off, the Mediterranean for Operation El Dorado CanyonOperation El Dorado Canyon was the name of the joint United States Air Force and Navy air-strikes against Libya on April 15, 1986. Reasons for the attack After the La Belle discotheque bombing in West Berlin on April 5, which killed three people (includin, GrenadaThis article is about the Caribbean nation. For alternate meanings, see Grenada (disambiguation Grenada is an island nation in the Caribbean Sea including the southern Grenadines, is the second smallest independent country in the Western Hemisphere (after for Operation Urgent Fury, Panama for Operation Just Cause, and Southwest Asia for Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. RC-135s have maintained a constant presence in both Southwest Asia and in the area of the Balkans since the early 1990s.

All RC-135s are assigned to Air Combat Command. The RC-135 is permanently based at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska and operated by the 55th Wing , using various forward deployment locations worldwide.