Rivet Joint Milestone

March 17, 2008

A Kennedy-era RC-135 Rivet Joint electronic surveillance aircraft surpassed 50,000 flight hours during a mission March 12 in Southwest Asia supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. The aircraft, which has been in service since 1962 and flown tours in far-flung places ranging from Vietnam to Afghanistan and Iraq, is the first Rivet Joint and the first of any C-135 airframe, in general, to reach this milestone. “The folks that fly, operate and maintain the Rivet Joint are quiet, professional warriors who are making a difference every day,” said Brig. Gen. Charles Lyon, commander of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing. “We’ve had many successes in the war on terrorism, many of which aren’t publicized.” (USAF report by 2nd Lt. Tania Bryan)

Related Content

For 4th Time This Year, B-1 Bombers Join S. Korean Fighters in Show of Force

March 20, 2023
A pair of B-1B Lancers flew alongside American F-16s and South Korean F-35s over the Korean Peninsula on March 19, the same day North Korea reportedly launched another missile test off its coast. The latest combined air training event between the U.S. and the Republic of Korea (ROK) was part of…

Chinese Spy Balloon Prompts $90 Million in New Air Defense Spending

March 20, 2023
The Chinese spy balloon may have popped, but funding to protect against similar threats is inflating, according to the Department of Defense. The high-attitude surveillance balloon that traversed the U.S. in late January and early February prompted last-minute additions to the Pentagon's budget of around $90 million for measures to…

Photos: F-22 Raptors Deploy to Philippines In ‘Milestone’ for Alliance

March 17, 2023
The U.S. Air Force marked an important first earlier this week when F-22 Raptors deployed to Clark Air Force Base, the first time U.S. fifth-generation fighters have ever deployed to the Philippines, the Air Force said. The F-22 deployment, which took place on March 13 and 14, comes as the…

First All-Space Force Flight Graduates from Officer Training School

March 17, 2023
A group of 15 Guardians became the first all-Space Force flight to graduate from the Department of the Air Force’s Officer Training School on March 10—another milestone as the new service carves out space-specific education for its incoming members. 

Tattoos, Loan Repayments, and More: Air Force Attacks Recruiting Barriers

March 17, 2023
Vice Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin told Air & Space Forces Magazine that top leaders are working the service’s recruiting problems, as ;eaders late last year “put a team together to ensure that we are evaluating all of the things that we do to make sure we’re not…

Kendall: Air Force Wants as Many as 2,000 CCAs with a Common, Modular Airframe

March 16, 2023
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall clarified what the service wants from its future fleet of Collaborative Combat Aircraft fleet, saying the service seeks a single type of airframe customizable to the mission with modular elements. He also said the final inventory could be twice as large as the planning figure…

Now Army Has Operational Imperatives Too, Copying Air Force

March 16, 2023
Citing the example of Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall and his seven Operational Imperatives for the department, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth detailed six areas her service needs to urgently work on during a fireside chat at the annual McAleese conference March 15.