After several years without tracking any U.S. Rivet Joint missions over the Black Sea, today we are tracking the second mission in just three weeks (the previous one was on February 5).
A USAF Boeing RC-135W (reg. 64-14844, c/s JAKE17) took off from RAF Mildenhall and is conducting a SIGINT mission this afternoon over the Black Sea, south of Crimea. It is unclear whether the aircraft is escorted, but it is likely.
The image above, taken at around 17:00 CET, is the last available before the aircraft was no longer trackable on various tracking sites.
This is yet another confirmation that the U.S. is negotiating with Russia while still avoiding any appearance of military de-escalation—a classic example of the “carrot and stick” policy we have referred to in the past.
RAF RC135W Rivet Joint is also a regular visitor above International waters, from the UK, and accompanied by friends from the Advanced Forward Presence in Romania.
Thus ISTAR support is ongoing.