A British spy plane has been caught circling the skies near Russian-occupied territory, and it wasn’t just passing by.
The RAF’s RC-135W Rivet Joint, one of the most advanced surveillance aircraft in the world, was recently deployed over the Black Sea on a high-stakes mission to monitor Russian military activity. Flying through international airspace along the Ukrainian coastline, the aircraft hoovered up electronic signals, radar emissions and enemy communications, all under the gaze of both NATO and Russian air defences.
The Rivet Joint’s presence wasn’t exactly subtle, and that’s the point. These flights are deliberately visible, sending a clear message to Moscow: We’re watching.
Armed with powerful sensors and operated by elite RAF surveillance teams, the RC-135W is capable of constructing a real-time intelligence picture of the battlefield. On this latest sortie, the aircraft is believed to have tracked Russian naval manoeuvres in the Black Sea and gathered data on air defence systems and troop movements across Crimea and southern Ukraine.
While no confrontation was reported, such missions are not without risk. Russian Su-27 and Su-30 fighter jets have previously been scrambled to intercept NATO flights, including a 2022 incident where a Russian jet released flares dangerously close to a British aircraft.
This kind of intelligence-gathering isn’t new, it’s part of the RAF’s routine surveillance operations that have ramped up significantly since the war in Ukraine began. But the visibility of these flights matters. If it were truly secret, we wouldn’t be reading about it. This transparency acts as both a deterrent and a reminder: Britain and its allies are actively monitoring Russia’s military posture.
So, what does the RC-135W actually do?
According to the Royal Air Force, it’s a dedicated electronic surveillance aircraft deployed in both strategic and tactical missions. It’s designed to ‘soak up’ electronic signals, everything from radar systems to battlefield communications, and provide critical intelligence to UK and NATO commanders.
Staffed by specialist Weapons System Officers (WSOs) and Operators (WSOps), the Rivet Joint is a flying nerve centre in modern electronic warfare. The UK currently operates three of these aircraft, which were originally branded as “Airseeker” but are almost always referred to by their US military name: RC-135W Rivet Joint.
The aircraft have already played a vital role in Operation Shader and are now part of the UK’s expanded surveillance effort across Europe’s eastern flank.
As Russian forces dig in and tensions continue to simmer, you can expect more of these high-tech flights to quietly, and not so quietly, patrol the skies above one of the world’s most volatile regions.
