Boeing RC-135 – Billeder og video

Den Boeing RC-135 er en familie af store rekognosceringsfly bygget af Boeing og modificeret af en række virksomheder, herunder General Dynamics, Lockheed, LTV, E-Systems og L3 Technologies, og bruges af United States Air Force og Royal Air Force til at støtte teater- og nationale efterretningsforbrugere med næsten realtid indsamling, analyse og formidling på stedet. Baseret på C-135 Stratolifter flyskroget, har forskellige typer RC-135 været i drift siden 1961. I modsætning til C-135 og KC-135, som er anerkendt af Boeing som Model 717, er RC-135 internt udpeget som Model 739 af virksomheden. Mange varianter er blevet ændret adskillige gange, hvilket resulterer i en lang række betegnelser, konfigurationer og programnavne.

Kilde: Boeing RC-135 på Wikipedia

Boeing RC-135 er et stort rekognosceringsfly, der bruges til fotografiske og elektroniske efterretningsmissioner. Det er baseret på Boeing C-135 Stratolifter, et transport- og tankfly, der blev udviklet fra Boeing 707. RC-135 er blevet modificeret af forskellige virksomheder, såsom General Dynamics, Lockheed, LTV, E-Systems og L3 Technologies, til at bære forskellige typer sensorer og udstyr. RC-135 har været i tjeneste med United States Air Force og Royal Air Force siden 1961 og har deltaget i mange konflikter og operationer rundt om i verden.
RC-135 har fire CFM International CFM56 turbofanmotorer, der giver en maksimal hastighed på 933 km/t og en rækkevidde på 5.500 km. Flyet har en besætning på 27, herunder tre piloter, to navigatører og 22 andre medlemmer, der betjener rekognosceringssystemerne. RC-135 har et vingefang på 39,88 m, en længde på 41,53 m og en højde på 12,7 m. Flyet har ingen bevæbning eller forsvarssystemer, men er afhængig af dets elektroniske modforanstaltninger og eskortejagere for beskyttelse.
RC-135 har mange varianter, der er betegnet med forskellige bogstaver og navne, afhængigt af deres specifikke mission og konfiguration. Nogle af de mest almindelige varianter er:
– RC-135A: The first variant, ordered in 1962 to replace the RB-50 Superfortress. It had cameras in a bay behind the nose wheel well and no in-flight refueling system. – RC-135B: The second variant, ordered in 1964 to replace the RB-47H Stratojet. It had Pratt & Whitney TF33 engines instead of J57s and was delivered to Martin Aircraft for installation of electronic intelligence equipment. It was later converted to RC-135C. – RC-135C: The third variant, derived from the RC-135B after receiving additional modifications by E-Systems. It had large cheek antenna fairings on the forward fuselage and was used for signals intelligence (SIGINT) missions. – RC-135D: The fourth variant, derived from three KC-135A tankers that were modified by Lockheed for polar reconnaissance missions. It had a distinctive nose radome and was used to monitor Soviet missile tests. – RC-135E: The fifth variant, derived from one C-135B transport that was modified by E-Systems for electronic warfare (EW) missions. It had a large antenna on top of the fuselage and was nicknamed “Lisa Ann”. It was later transferred to the US Navy as EC-24A. – RC-135M: The sixth variant, derived from seven KC-135A tankers that were modified by LTV for SIGINT missions in support of US Navy operations. It had additional antennas under the wings and fuselage and was used in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. – RC-135S: The seventh variant, derived from three C-135A transports that were modified by General Dynamics for strategic reconnaissance missions. It had a large black radome under the rear fuselage and was used to track ballistic missile launches. It was also known as “Cobra Ball”. – RC-135U: The eighth variant, derived from two KC-135A tankers that were modified by E-Systems for electronic intelligence (ELINT) missions. It had distinctive wingtip pods and nose cones and was used to collect radar emissions. It was also known as “Combat Sent”. – RC-135V/W: The ninth variant, derived from 22 RC-135C/M aircraft that were upgraded by L3 Technologies with new engines, avionics, and reconnaissance systems. It is the most advanced and capable variant of the RC-135 family and is used for SIGINT missions. It is also known as “Rivet Joint”.