Rivet Joint Eyes Drone Wingmen for Deeper ISR Reach

L3Harris wants to pair the RC-135V/W spy plane with uncrewed platforms—expanding collection range and keeping the jets clear of missile threats.

By The Defense Desk

L3Harris is pushing to pair the RC-135V/W Rivet Joint—the U.S. Air Force's primary signals-intelligence aircraft—with drones that could gather electronic emissions beyond the jet's own sensor range and radio horizon. [1]

Jason Lambert, President for Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance at L3Harris, confirmed the company is in active discussions with multiple unspecified drone makers. "We're currently in discussions right now to actually do demonstrations on that [crewed-uncrewed teaming] with the RC-135," Lambert said. "The technology is actually there. It exists today. We just need to go demonstrate it." [1]

The case for teaming is partly defensive. Adversary anti-access/area denial bubbles are growing in scale and scope, to include ever-longer-ranged anti-air missiles, threatening to push Rivet Joints further from collection areas—especially in a high-end fight against China in the Pacific. [1]

The operational upside extends beyond survivability. [1] The U.S. Air Force operates 17 RC-135V/Ws; the Royal Air Force flies another three. [1]

The push reflects a broader reckoning across the intelligence-collection world: slow upgrade cycles and single-platform concentration are liabilities that distributed, networked architectures are designed to correct.

[1] Whether the Rivet Joint demonstration materialises first, the direction of travel is clear: the spy plane of tomorrow flies with company.

The technology is actually there. It exists today. We just need to go demonstrate it.Jason Lambert