Air Force Is Down To One Tired Old Jet To Fly Open Skies Surveillance Flights
The other OC-135 jet is in testing after receiving badly needed new digital cameras, but is years away from getting re-certified as treaty compliant.
By Joseph TrevithickApril 28, 2020
Only one of the U.S. Air Force's two OC-135B surveillance aircraft is available to conduct missions under the Open Skies Treaty, a reality that is set to continue to be the case at least for the next two years. The other jet is now undergoing testing of a new digital camera suite, which replaces earlier wet-film cameras, and the other countries that are party to the agreement, including Russia, will need to re-certify that it is treaty compliant before it can return to service in this role. All of this comes as President Donald Trump's Administration is eying abandoning the deal, which allows signatories to conduct largely unimpeded surveillance flights over each other's territory, arguing that the Kremlin is abusing its provisions.
On Apr. 28, 2020, Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Carla Gleason, a Pentagon spokesperson, confirmed to The War Zone that one of the OC-135Bs has received the Digital Visual Imaging System (DVIS) upgrade and is now in testing. The Air Force's 55th Wing at Offut Air Force Base in Nebraska still "maintains one Treaty certified wet-film aircraft to conduct Open Skies missions," she added.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/33212/air-force-is-down-to-one-tired-old-jet-to-fly-open-skies-surveillance-flights
