Boeing OC-135B Open Skies

The Boeing OC-135B Open Skies is a USAF observation aircraft 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.

Users

 * United States
 * United States Air Force x 3

Related Development

 * Boeing C-135 Stratolifter
 * Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker
 * Boeing WC-135 Constant Phoenix

Comparable Aircraft

 * Airbus CC-150OS Open Skies