Pentagon Announces Rivet Joint Sale

The Department of Defense last week informed Congress of its intent to convert three KC-135R tankers into RC-135 Rivet Joint signals intelligence platforms for Britain under a proposed foreign military sale. If all options are exercised, the pending deal, including associated equipment and services, could be worth as much as $1.068 billion, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a release Oct. 2. “The United Kingdom requests this capability to provide for the defense of its deployed troops, regional security, and interoperability with the United States,” DSCA said. The Air Force has said it will make up for the three fewer tankers by temporarily allowing a higher utilization rate on its remaining KC-135Rs, assigning more crews, and adopting efficiencies in the KC-135R schoolhouse.