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Dan Bush | all galleries >> Main Gallery Folders followed by 2018's Latest Stuff >> Aircraft Images > RC-135 RIVET JOINT
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07-JUL-2005 Dan Bush

RC-135 RIVET JOINT

Albany, Missouri

This aircraft first appeared to me in a refueling practice run on this date. It looks to me to be an old KC-135 converted to some sort of radar surveillance plane. I noticed that there is a blister back where the refueling probe used to be. Lots of other blisters with all kinds of equipment on this plane. This aircraft was about 1/2 mile behind a KC-135 preparing to refuel.

Nikon Coolpix 995 ,6-Inch f/8 Refractor Telescope
1/500s f/5.1 at 31.0mm iso100 full exif

other sizes: small medium original auto
comment
C.S. 01-Apr-2007 23:36
This is an RC-135S COBRA BALL. Tail number 128. It's the first BALL to recieve the RIVET GLASS update and CFM-56 engines. Only the BALL has the tear drop antennas on the rear.
Matt 28-May-2006 08:01
In addition, none of these aircraft were ever KC's.
Matt 28-May-2006 08:00
Its a SIGINT/COMMINT platform. The particular tail number in your picture is 4129 which is actually a TC-135W (empty look alike used to train front end flight crews).