Inside the Rivet Joint?

When Mike badrocke drew his RC-135W cutaway (probably for one of the Aerospace Publishing partworks, and certainly used in International Air Power Review (Volume 10, pp 69-70) in 2003, it showed just six operator’s positions in a compartment that ‘began’ roughly in line with the main undercarriage.

By the time the IAPR article was published there was a disparity between the artwork and the text, which listed 21 operator stations, three Ravens, two technicians, and a 16-man communications team, divided between five supervisors and eleven operators.

Jane’s ‘Electronic Mission Aircraft’ went into more detail.

The Baseline/Block 7 ‘RJ’ aircraft provided accommodation for a flight crew of up to five (pilot, co-pilot, relief pilot and two navigators) and a mission crew of between 21 and 27 dependent on specific mission requirements. Within a 21 man crew, the operators were understood to have been divided into ELINT subsystem, in-flight technician and COMINT subsystem groups.

Jane’s listed three ELINT operators ‘next to’ two maintenance techs, with 16 ‘intelligence operator’ (analysis/cryptology) and communications workstations further aft.

It also detailed the expanded crew complement of the latest ‘Baseline Eight’ aircraft, with two extra technicians but two fewer on the Comint team.

The Baseline 8’s mission crew comprised three electronic warfare officers, four in-flight maintenance technicians and 14 ‘intelligence’ operators (including linguists). An additional six personnel could be accommodated if required and the configuration’s flight crew comprised three pilots and two navigators.

But where do they actually sit?

In a great long row of 21 starboard facing stations ELINT at the front, then technicians, and then COMINT? Or in a row of 19, with the technicians back to back with the ELINT team, facing to port?

These options seems unlikely, looking at recently released internal photos of the RC-135, which seem to show at least one lot of seats arranged across the fuselage – with a bulkhead suggesting that these are aft-facing at the very back of the cabin.

ELINT team?

COMINT supervisors?

COMINT ops?

Rear facing – systems maintenance stations?

What seating is there for relief crew members and these ‘additional six personnel’ referred to in Jane’s?

Where is the toilet? Where is the galley? Are there any crew rest facilities? If so, where are they and what do they consist of?