RC-135V Rivet Joint (USAF)
United States Air Force

RC-135V Rivet Joint
Operator: 55th Wing
Location: Prince Sultan Air Base (Saudi Arabia)
Timeframe: 1996

Personal Interest:
All RC-135V/W Rivet Joint aircraft are permanently based at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, and operated by the 55th Wing. RC-135s are frequently deployed to various forward operating locations worldwide. I provided weather support to RC-135 crews when I was stationed in Saudi Arabia in 1996. The RC-135 flew out of Prince Sultan Royal Saudi Air Force Base on a regular basis to perform SIGINT missions near Iraq. I regularly provided weather information for the operational planning of these missions.

While I was stationed at King Salmon Joint Airport, Alaska, RC-135V Rivet Joint aircraft operated out of Elmendorf AFB near Anchorage. They were tasked with signals intelligence (SIGINT) missions near Russia, North Korea, and China, for which I occasionally provided weather support via radio. The RC-135 was a critical asset in determining North Korean intent during the 1994 nuclear crisis. A US strike on North Korean nuclear facilities, which could have triggered a Korean war, was narrowly averted when former President Jimmy Carter and Kim Il-Sung reached an agreement.