Pimp my ride
Using call-sign 'Dragnet 31', Royal Air Force No.51 Squadron's Boeing RC-135W 'Rivet Joint' ZZ665 retracts her landing gear as she performs an overshoot at RAF Mildenhall.
Along with the two others that we have acquired, the trio were converted by L3 Systems at Greenville, Texas, from operational ex US Air Force KC-135 Stratotankers
ZZ664 is ex KC-135R 64-14838 and with Waddington's runway recently completely rebuilt, all three are now based there along with our other intelligence gathering RAF assets - the Sentinels, Shadows and Islanders.
However, word is that a Joint operating Base is being sought to house these RAF heavies and their Mildenhall based USAF counterparts as 'apparently' Waddington's runway is considered too short for them to operate from fully loaded.
As a consequence, once airborne they require tankers equipped with the US 'Flying Boom' as neither can use the 'Hose & Drogue' system which our own RAF Voyager tankers have
One story is that when Mildenhall closes in a couple of years time, by then, the Boom fitted tanker force currently based there which are used to re-fuel both, will have been moved to the European mainland and the USAF RC-135's will move into RAF Fairford which does have a huge runway capable of launching fully laden aircraft
Whether that happens and Waddington's RAF trio also move there .......well, watch this space!
IMG_3755
Pimp my ride
Using call-sign 'Dragnet 31', Royal Air Force No.51 Squadron's Boeing RC-135W 'Rivet Joint' ZZ665 retracts her landing gear as she performs an overshoot at RAF Mildenhall.
Along with the two others that we have acquired, the trio were converted by L3 Systems at Greenville, Texas, from operational ex US Air Force KC-135 Stratotankers
ZZ664 is ex KC-135R 64-14838 and with Waddington's runway recently completely rebuilt, all three are now based there along with our other intelligence gathering RAF assets - the Sentinels, Shadows and Islanders.
However, word is that a Joint operating Base is being sought to house these RAF heavies and their Mildenhall based USAF counterparts as 'apparently' Waddington's runway is considered too short for them to operate from fully loaded.
As a consequence, once airborne they require tankers equipped with the US 'Flying Boom' as neither can use the 'Hose & Drogue' system which our own RAF Voyager tankers have
One story is that when Mildenhall closes in a couple of years time, by then, the Boom fitted tanker force currently based there which are used to re-fuel both, will have been moved to the European mainland and the USAF RC-135's will move into RAF Fairford which does have a huge runway capable of launching fully laden aircraft
Whether that happens and Waddington's RAF trio also move there .......well, watch this space!
IMG_3755