FINAL OPEN SKIES OC-135B RETIRED

摘要

THE US Air Force's 55th Wing/45th Reconnaissance Squadron retired the second and final aircraft of the unit's only two operational OC-135Bs at Lincoln Airport in Nebraska on June 4, formally ending operations of the Open Skies aircraft. Prior to retirement, serial number 61-2670'OF' made its final flight with the unit on May 10 and was subsequently delivered from Lincoln to Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, on June 9 and handed over to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) for storage. The aircraft had been used to conduct aerial photography as part of the 34-nation Open Skies Treaty, which was signed in 1992 and fully implemented in 2002. The type first arrived at Offutt AFB in 1993 and became fully operational in 1996. The US withdrew from the pact in November 2020 following Russian violations of the agreement. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill on June 7, 2021, officially withdrawing from the treaty.