Death Spiral for HELIX? Britain Wants RC-135 Rivet Joint Planes
Related Stories: Americas - USA, Britain/U.K., C4ISR, Contracts - Intent, L3 Communications, Signals Intercept, Cryptography, etc., Specialty Aircraft
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“Nimrod Was Actually a Fine Hunter: Upgrading Britain’s Fleet” describes a parallel set of efforts. One multi-billion pound program seeks to upgrade 12 of Britain’s unique Nimrod Mk2 maritime patrol aircraft to Nimrod MRA4 status.
The other effort, named Project HELIX, sought to keep its related Nimrod R1 electronic and signals intelligence/ relay aircraft fleet flying until 2025. A 9 month assessment phase involving L-3, Lockheed, and Northrop-Grumman was down-selected to L-3 and Lockheed Martin in 2005. In April 2007, L-3’s team won the Phase 3 risk reduction contract, and became the preferred bidder for the main HELIX contract in 2009.
A recent US DSCA announcement has just cast doubt on that effort, however, by conveying Britain’s official $1+ billion request to refurbish 3 KC-135 tankers and convert them to RC-135V/W Rivet Joint ELINT/SIGINT aircraft…
- The RC-135 Rivet Joint
- Contracts and Key Events
- Other Options?
The RC-135 Rivet Joint
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The USA operates 15 of these in-demand aircraft, which have been used in both Iraq wars, and can also be found over missions like Bosnia, Haiti, et al. Their extended “thimble” noses and cheek fairings are very recognizable, and have given them the nickname “hogs”. The USAF’s fleet went from 14 to 15 in 1999 with the addition of a converted C-135B.
If this contract goes through, Britain will become the only Rivet Joint operator in the world outside of the United States. The sensitivity of its technologies are such that only a very few countries would even be considered for a sale; Australia, Britain, Canada, and possibly Japan would likely exhaust the potential list.
Rivet Joint aircraft are so important that they are assigned tasks at the national level, above even theater commanders like CENTCOM. Their crews’ job is to collect and relay signals and communications, snooping on enemy transmissions and radar emissions. The planes are advanced enough to precisely locate, record and analyze much of what is being done in the electromagnetic spectrum within their coverage area, which is large enough to cover most countries over the course of a mission flight. They can convey this information, or relay other high bandwidth communications, using a communications array that includes satellite channels, the Tactical Digital Information Link (TADIL/A), the Tactical Information Broadcast Service (TIBS), and other options.
American RC-135V/Ws can be refueled in the air, using the USAF’s standard dorsal intake. Britain standardized on the rival hose-and-probe system used by the US Navy, however; its current and future aerial tankers lack the aerial boom structure required to refuel dorsal intakes. It’s E-3s have been converted to that system (note the frontal probe in the lead photo), and it will be interesting to see how this aspect of the Kc-135Rs’ conversion is handled, if the contract goes through.
Contracts and Key Events
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Oct 2/08: The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency announces [PDF] the United Kingdom’s formal request to convert 3 USAF KC-135R aircraft into RC-135V/W Rivet Joint aircraft, used for communications relay, electronic surveillance, and related tasks. The order would also include 3 APX-119 Identification Friend or Foe Systems, 3 LN-100GT Inertial Reference Units, 5 Joint Tactical Information Distribution System (Link 16) terminals, 18 ARC-210 Radios and 28 ARC-210 Radio control heads, plus modification kits, integration and installation, Ground Distributed Processing Station, Modular Processing System, Airborne Capability Extension System, mission trainer, tools and test equipment, spare and repair parts, and other forms of support.
The estimated cost is $1.068 billion. DSCA adds:
“The United Kingdom’s troops are deployed in support of Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, where U.S. assets currently provide this proposed capability. By acquiring this capability, the United Kingdom will be able to provide the same level of protection for its own forces and those of the United States.”
If a future Rivet Joint contract does mean the loss of Project HELIX, L-3 still comes out ahead. They are the Rivet Joint’s principal contractor, and L3 Communications of Greenville, TX would perform these conversions.
The re-engined KC-135Rs (Boeing 707s) will fit in with Britain’s E-3D Sentry AWACS fleet, which uses the same airframe and already has a comprehensive through-life support program. As such, they present no maintenance and support issues for Britain.
Other Options?
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Britain did have other options besides the RC-135V/W.
The RAF recently inducted its ultra-modern ASTOR Sentinel R1 aircraft into service, which uses a modified Bombardier Global Express long-range business jet to provide outstanding long-range ground surveillance and command and control capabilities. The same platform could have been modified to perform the SIGINT/ELINT role, and in fact Lockheed Martin had proposed this very combination for the USA’s canceled and recently restarted ACS SIGINT/ELINT aircraft program.
The difference between the ASTOR ELINT and the RC-135V/W Rivet Joint comes down to development costs and known capabilities. A new version of the Sentinel R1 would require a full design and integration phase, starting from zero, with all of the attendant risks. Capabilities might be very high with the approach, and operating costs would be lower; but problems could also arise with integration, and the airframe is much smaller than the Rivet Joint’s 707 base.
When development costs and potential overruns are added to the likely purchase costs, Britain appears to have concluded that the RC-135V/W was its best option. It, too, offered platform commonality with RAF aircraft (E-3D), plus precisely known capabilities and purchase costs, the benefits of joint operation with the USA from common bases like Diego Garcia, and a partner who will finance the R&D needed for future upgrades.
Neither a modified ASTOR Sentinel R1, nor Britain’s existing Nimrod R1 fleet, can offer them those things.
