The 2 British plane flew a 12-hour mission alongside the border with Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.
In a uncommon mission, a Royal Air Drive (RAF) RC-135W Rivet Joint digital surveillance plane flew a 12-hour-long mission on Oct. 9, 2025, patrolling your entire border alongside NATO’s jap flank and the Black Sea. An RAF P-8A Poseidon (Poseidon MRA1 as per the British designation), additionally flew part of the journey alongside the Russian and Belarusian border earlier than conducting a patrol over the Baltic Sea.
The RAF’s assertion stated that the P-8A flew a “targeted route” across the Baltic Sea, whereas the RC-13W proceeded southwards alongside the Finnish, Baltic nations’ border with Russia, skirting the Belarussian and Ukrainian borders, and at last entered the Black Sea earlier than returning to the U.Ok.
The 2 plane have been supported by a U.S. Air Drive KC-135 Stratotanker assigned to the one centesimal Air Refueling Wing from RAF Mildenhall. The RC-135W and the P-8A took off from RAF Waddington and RAF Lossiemouth, respectively. RAF Waddington is dwelling to the No. 51 Squadron, whereas RAF Lossiemouth hosts the No. 120 Sqn, No. 201 Sqn and the 42 (Torpedo Bomber) Squadron.
All the time watching.
✈️ RAF Rivet Joint & Poseidon, with USAF KC-135 help, patrolled NATO’s Japanese Flank.
In response to Russia’s illegal incursions, this mission exhibits NATO’s unity and readiness to defend its airspace. 💪#WeAreNATO #AlwaysReady #StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/lxQnjfaCtm
— Royal Air Drive (@RoyalAirForce) October 10, 2025
Flight observers tracked the RC-135W and the KC-135 refueler late within the morning of Oct. 9, taking off from RAF Waddington and RAF Mildenhall with the callsigns ASCOT7209 and LAGER51, respectively.
The RAF stated the mission was in response to the repeated incursions of Russian drones and plane final month into the airspace of NATO international locations together with Poland, Estonia, and Romania. It known as the help from the American KC-135 Stratotanker a show of “trans-Atlantic unity between NATO allies.”
Apparently, Oct. 11, 2024, an RAF RC-135W Rivet Joint had turn out to be the primary allied plane to finish a full transit alongside NATO’s jap border, from the southernmost level of Greece to the northernmost level of Finland.
#RAF Royal Air Drive
Boeing RC-135W Rivet Joint 1x#43C38C ZZ663 – ASCOT7209
The RAF RJ from Waddington early this morning is now over the Black Sea, after having a look on the Russian border from the highest of Finland all the way in which right down to Romania.
That is the primary RAF RJ… pic.twitter.com/4hQj3Wkk8Q
— Armchair Admiral 🇬🇧 (@ArmchairAdml) October 9, 2025
The mission
Flight tracks confirmed the RC-135W, utilizing the callsign ‘RRR7209,’ and the KC-135 briefly flew over the North Sea, the place the previous would have been refuelled mid-air. The 2 plane’s paths started converging across the northern a part of the Black Sea, and had totally aligned outdoors Norway’s western seaboard, the place the refueling might have taken place.
The KC-135 broke off and turned again southwards outdoors northwestern Norway, and the RC-135W continued additional, turning west to hint the Russian border from over Finland.
The RAF, that put the whole distance lined by the mission at 10,000 miles starting from the Excessive North, stated the refueling from the KC-135 “prolonged the operational attain of the 2 RAF plane.” This implies the P-8A may additionally have obtained gas for the primary time in an operational situation after the trials late in September.
RAF RC-135W Rivet Joint #RRR7209 and Poseidon MRA1 working alongside your entire size of the NATO’s jap border at this time. pic.twitter.com/0gGuDgiGFV
— Olli Suorsa (@OlliSuorsa) October 9, 2025
In truth, the RAF’s P-8A not too long ago examined mid-air refueling for the primary time from the USAF’s KC-135 for the primary time on Sep. 17, as part of Train Cobra Warrior. This was to make up for the shortfall within the functionality due to the absence of boom-equipped tankers within the RAF stock.
On the time, the USAF known as it a “simulated aerial refueling train,” whereas the RAF press launch stated two sorties occurred. This might suggest the primary sortie might have solely simulated the refueling, whereas precise connection and gas switch might have taken place in the second.
As reported beforehand, the Voyager KC2s and KC3s (RAF designation for the Airbus A330 MRTT) are outfitted with a hose-and-drogue refueling system and may solely join with the RAF’s Typhoons and F-35Bs, whereas they’ll’t refuel the RC-135Ws, P-8As, E-7A Wedgetail or C-17 Globemaster IIIs, which have receptacles solely appropriate with the growth.
As regards the newest mission, flight monitor observations in regards to the RAF’s P-8A don’t present it touring over the Baltic Sea, and somewhat largely mirroring the route taken by the RC-135W, earlier than turning westwards over Polish airspace, in direction of Germany. The plane then flew over the water in the course of the return leg of its journey, near the Russian exclave of Kaliliningrad over the Baltics.
The RC-135W, after taking off, headed northwards into the North Sea alongside the Norwegian coast, entered Finnish airspace, turned southwards and, whereas briefly over the Baltic Sea, flew over Estonia and Latvia, skirting the Russian border. It then continued southwards over Lithuania and Poland, simply outdoors Belarusian and Ukrainian borders, and over Slovakia, lastly turning east to fly over jap Romania and enter the Black Sea.
The RC-135 flew a small round route simply outdoors the central Black Sea, earlier than turning again, coming into Romania. It then flew over Hungary, Slovakia, Czechia, Germany and the Netherlands earlier than returning to the UK.
Oct. 9, 2025#RAF Waddington ==> #Finland -Russia border #RRR7209 #43C38C RAF RC-135W Rivet Joint
Refueling #RAF Mildenhall #Norwegian Sea#NoCALLSIGN #AE062B USAF KC-135R Stratotanker pic.twitter.com/vZbhgco8Vc
— Heo TaeJin (@AIYeyENGDdJkjTr) October 9, 2025
‘Collective resolve and coordination to defend NATO’
The RAF stated the RC-135 and P-8 “collectively flew practically 10,000 miles from the Excessive North alongside the border with Russia, down previous Belarus and Ukraine.” The service then added this mission allowed to show its “operational readiness and collective resolve of NATO.”
It then described each plane being “designed to collect intelligence utilizing a variety of strategies to spice up operational consciousness and supply helpful information for evaluation.”
“The RC-135 Rivet Joint, a key intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) platform, is designed to hearken to an unlimited vary of various alerts from throughout the electromagnetic spectrum, permitting it to listen in on navy communications,” stated the RAF. “The P-8A Poseidon, which is specialised for anti-submarine warfare and may carry torpedoes and anti-ship missiles, flew a route targeted across the Baltic Sea.”
Each plane “coordinated intently with NATO Allies throughout Europe,” offering “complete situational consciousness, monitoring exercise throughout the Alliance’s jap flank and deterring any potential threats to airspace.”
Oct. 10, 2025#RAF Waddington #NATO-Russia border #Black Sea#RRR7209 #43C38C RAF RC-135W Rivet Joint pic.twitter.com/c7KXlb6CmP
— Heo TaeJin (@AIYeyENGDdJkjTr) October 9, 2025
“This joint mission highlights NATO’s dedication to collective defence and its capacity to function cohesively in response to rising threats. By integrating superior surveillance and maritime patrol capabilities with air-to-air refuelling help, the RAF and its NATO allies proceed to safeguard the Alliance’s airspace and uphold worldwide legislation,” the assertion added.
Early in September, drones from Russia violated Polish airspace, spurring NATO to launch Operation Japanese Sentry in Poland, with the RAF’s Typhoons from RAF Coningsby additionally deploying within the effort to bolster the alliance’s jap flank.
