Age 70 - Jul 18, 2009
Bellevue, NE, formerly of Nashville, TN
Welcome To
In Memory of Jim Burns
Age 70 - Jul 18, 2009
Bellevue, NE, formerly of Nashville, TN
COMBAT SENT is an RC-135 aircraft employed as a Scientific and Technical ELINT Collection System. Two COMBAT SENT RC-135Us are assigned to the 55th Wg at Offutt AFB, and are flown by crews from the 38th RS, 343rd RS, and the 97th IS, also at Offutt AFB. USAF Rome Laboratory is using computers and expert systems as enabling technology to re-engineer and improve COMBAT SENT Mission Management.
Mission
The RC-135U Combat Sent provides strategic electronic reconnaissance information
to the president, secretary of defense, Department of Defense leaders, and
theater commanders. Locating and identifying foreign military land, naval and
airborne radar signals, the Combat Sent collects and minutely examines each
system, providing strategic analysis for warfighters. Collected data is also
stored for further analysis by the joint warfighting and intelligence
communities. The Combat Sent deploys worldwide and is employed in peacetime and
contingency operations.
Features
All RC-135U aircraft are equipped with an aerial refueling system, giving it an
unlimited flying range. Communication equipment includes high frequency, very
high frequency, and ultra high frequency radios. The navigation equipment
incorporates ground navigation radar, a solid state Doppler system, and an
inertial navigation system that merges celestial observations and Global
Positioning System data. Although the flight crew stations are similarly
configured, the reconnaissance equipment is slightly unique within each
airframe.
The aircraft are identified by their distinctive antennae arrays on the "chin"
and wing tips, large cheek fairings, and extended tail.
Crew composition includes two pilots, two navigators, two airborne systems
engineers, and a minimum of 10 electronic warfare officers, or "Ravens," and six
or more electronic, technical, and area specialists.
Background
There are only two Combat Sent aircraft in the Air Force inventory and both are
assigned to the 55th Wing at Offutt AFB, Neb. The RC-135U aircraft are manned by
Air Combat Command crews from the 45th Reconnaissance Squadron and the 97th
Intelligence Squadron (of the Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and
Reconnaissance Agency). The Combat Sent is composed of a wide variety of
commercial off-the-shelf and proprietary hardware and software. Its current
configuration allows for both manual and automatic analysis of electronic
signals. By combining manual systems with the Automatic Electronic Emitter
Locating System, Ravens and intelligence specialists can simultaneously locate,
identify, and analyze multiple electronic signals.
The Combat Sent records these signals for future reference or for extensive
analysis by electronic systems theorists. Any information garnered from the data
will help determine detailed operating characteristics and capabilities of
foreign systems. Evasion techniques and equipment are then developed from this
knowledge that will detect, warn of, or defeat these electronic systems.
General Characteristics
Primary function: Electronic intelligence reconnaissance and
surveillance
Contractor: Boeing Aerospace
Power Plant: Four CFM International F108-CF-201 high bypass
turbofan engines
Thrust: 21,600 pounds per engine
Wingspan: 135 feet, 1 inch (41.4 meters)
Length: 140 feet, 1 inch (42.6 meters)
Height: 41 feet, 8 inches (12.7 meters)
Weight: 165,7000 (75,160 kilograms)
Maximum Takeoff Weight: 299,000 pounds (135,626.4 kilograms)
Fuel Capacity: 130,000 pounds (58,967 kilograms)
Speed: 500+ miles per hour (Mach 0.66)
Range: 4,000 nautical miles
Ceiling: 35,000+ feet (10,668+ meters)
Crew: Two pilots, two navigators, two airborne systems
engineers, and a minimum of 10 electronic warfare officers (flight crew from
45th RS) and six or more mission area specialists (mission crew from 97th IS)
Unit Cost: Not available
Initial operational capability: April 1964
Inventory: Active force, 2; ANG, 0; Reserve, 0
