Boeing OC-135B Open Skies
The OC-135B Open Skies is a United States Air Force observation aircraft that supports the Treaty on Open Skies. The aircraft, a modified WC-135B, flies unarmed observation flights over participating parties of the treaty. Three OC-135B aircraft were modified by the Aeronautical Systems Center's 4950th Test Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. The first operationally-capable OC-135B was assigned to the 24th Reconnaissance Squadron at Offutt AFB in October 1993. It is now fitted with a basic set of navigational and sensor equipment, and was placed in inviolate storage at the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base near Tucson, Arizona in 1997. Two fully operational OC-135B aircraft were delivered in 1996 with the full complement of treaty-allowed sensors, which includes an infrared line scanner, synthetic aperture radar and video scanning sensors.
| OC-135 Open Skies | |
|---|---|
| Role | Observation Support/Support Open Skies Treaty |
| Manufacturer | Boeing Military Airplanes Division |
| Introduction | June 1993 |
| Status | In service |
| Primary user | United States Air Force (intended) |
| Number built | 3 |
| Developed from | C-135 Stratolifter |
In May 2020, the Trump administration said it would exit the treaty and gave the required six-month notice. In November, it announced plans to liquidate the two 60-year-old jets, offering them to other countries.