@ Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Honolulu, HI
December 2023
Caught this RC-135V Rivet Joint aircraft behind us as we taxied for departure from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL). Sprouting a variety of antenna and packed with electronic equipment, the RC-135 is the US Air Force’s standard airborne signals intelligence (SIGINT) gathering platform. This type originated in 1962 from modifications to a pool of C-135 aircraft to gather intelligence from a Soviet nuclear test. The current fleet of 17 RC-135 aircraft are based at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, so this one was far from home.
