![]() ![]() We have to be ahead of the innovation that China’s bringing to the table,” he said. Keeping up with the fast pace of change is a necessary part of staying ahead of competitors, Clement said. “The capabilities that we had at baseline 7, we couldn’t dream of where we’re at right now.” “It’s literally going from Coleco or Atari to PS5,” he said. Jeremy Martin, an 元Harris mission systems technician, compared the difference between baseline 13 and 7, which he encountered when he first served as an Airman aboard the Rivet Joint in the early 2000s, to the advance in video game consoles over the same period of time. The current baseline 13 is nearly all digital: the cockpits sport glass screens rather than old-fashioned gauges, and the streamlined backend system for intelligence collection has far more computing power than past baselines. The combination of hardware and software installed on the jet is called a baseline. ![]() ![]() The RC-135s are gutted to make way for updated systems equipped with faster software. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Taylor Crul Central Command area of responsibility, May 23, 2021. Air Force RC-135 Rivet Joint aircraft from the 763rd Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron flies in support of the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan over the U.S. “All you’ll see is the ribs, and the skin will be mostly off.”Ī U.S. How the Air Force manages to keep them all flying at extremely high rates is a combination of extensive maintenance and modernization.Įvery few years, each jet is sent to the depot at Greenville, Texas, known as ‘Big Safari’ for an extensive overhaul where they are almost completely disassembled, explained Joe Bucher, an airframe equipment specialist with the Air Force Engineering and Technical Services. With 28 total airframes total, the fleet has several variants-17 RC-135V/W Rivet Joints act as mobile listening posts, collecting real-time electronic and signals intelligence three RC-135S Cobra Balls study ballistic missile activity two RC-135U Combat Sent aircraft locate, identify, and analyze radar signals three WC-135R/W Constant Phoenix jets collect samples of the atmosphere to detect nuclear weapons testing and three TC-135Ws serve as training aircraft. “Not only are the metrics looking good, but the jets are cooperating we’re able to fly more than we think,” he added. ![]()
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