UK May Waive Rivet Joint Certification Requirements

Britain may waive its normal aircraft certification process to approve Royal Air Force operation of the RC-135W Rivet Joint.
The age of the Boeing 707-based airframe means Rivet Joint will not meet current or previous UK certification regulations in place before the MAA was formed in 2010.
The likely change to RC-135W certification requirements is contained in a report warning that shortages of qualified and experienced safety staff at DE&S could undermine military air safety.
DE&S, the procurement arm of the Ministry of Defence, purchased three RC-135Ws in a 2010 deal with L-3 Communications. L-3 is converting 50-year-old KC-135 tankers into the Rivet Joint configuration to replace Nimrod R1 aircraft taken out of service.
The first of the aircraft was delivered ahead of schedule in November, but it has yet to fly again. The plane, known in British service as the Airseeker, is on track to enter service at the end of this year.
Due to the age of the original Boeing 707 design and the unavailability of certain design and qualification evidence, it is unlikely that the full UK certification requirement will be satisfied and a waiver may be required.
defensenews

UK's first RC-135 Airseeker rolled out

L-3 Communications has rolled out the first UK Royal Air Force RC-135 Airseeker signals intelligence (SIGINT) aircraft, the US Air Force's intelligence chief has revealed.
"I was also, about three weeks ago, down in Greenville, Texas, at the L-3 facility with Big Safari [the USAF office overseeing the development of intelligence platforms], rolling out the first UK Rivet Joint," says Lt Gen Larry James. "Their chief of staff came down and we had a great ceremony there."
James says he expects the RAF aircraft to be an integral part of the "worldwide intelligence collection process" for both the UK and USA.
flightglobal

RAF’s first RC-135 will enter operational service in October 2014

The Royal Air Force's first of three Airseeker electronic intelligence aircraft will enter operational service in October 2014, following an on-time delivery in December 2013, one of the UK's defence ministers has confirmed.
Acquired for conversion from retired US Air Force Boeing KC-135 tankers by L-3 Communications in Greenville, Texas, the RAF's future Airseekers will be prepared and kept in a common configuration with the USAF's RC-135W Rivet Joint platforms.

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flightglobal

Leaked Image Shows First RAF Rivet Joint

Aviation Week has posted an image of the first RC-135 for the Royal Air Force.

The RAF has three RC-135s on order, making the U.K. the first export customer for the RC-135V/W Sigint jets. The aircraft have been converted from a trio of 1964-vintage Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers.

The three aircraft were ordered by the Ministry of Defence in March 2010 and the first aircraft is expected to roll out early next year. Once in service, the aircraft will be operated by No. 51 Sqn which famously operated the Nimrod R1, an aircraft which for many years the RAF refused to disclose as being in operation because of the type’s intelligence gathering capabilities. In preparation for the Rivet Joint’s arrival, 51 Sqn crews have been flying missions with the 55th Wing to gain experience on the type. It is understood that the aircraft will be christened Airseeker in RAF service.

The aircraft distinctly lacks an air-to-air refuelling probe and given the RAF has not ordered a boom for its Voyager tankers, the new Airseekers will end up being dependent on USAF or tankers from other nations for refuelling.


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Tony Osborne-aviationweek