Editing Treaty on Open Skies (section)

== Summary ==
=== Territory ===
The Open Skies regulations covers the territory over which the parties exercise sovereignty, including [[mainland]], islands, and internal and territorial waters. The treaty specifies that the entire territory of a member state is open to observation. Observation flights may only be restricted for reasons of flight safety and not for reasons of national security.<ref name=stategov />

=== Aircraft ===
[[File:Oc-135 xxl.jpg|thumb|A [[United States Air Force|USAF]] [[Boeing OC-135B Open Skies]]]]
[[File:An-30ukrainearmy.JPG|thumb| [[An-30]] monitoring aircraft]]
[[File:Russian Air Force Tu-214ON RA-64519 UUBW 2011-8-12.png|thumb|[[Tupolev Tu-214]]ON of the [[Russian Air Force]]]]
Observation aircraft may be provided by either the observing party or by the observed party (the "taxi option"), at the latter's choice. All Open Skies aircraft and sensors must pass specific certification and [[pre-flight inspection]] procedures to ensure that they are compliant with treaty standards.<ref name=stategov />

The official certified U.S. Open Skies aircraft is the [[OC-135B Open Skies]].{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}

Canada uses a [[C-130 Hercules]] aircraft equipped with a "SAMSON" sensor pod to conduct flights over other treaty nations. The pod is a converted CC-130 fuel tank modified to carry the permitted sensors, along with associated on-board mission systems. A consortium of nations consisting of Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Canada, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain own and operate this system. The costs of maintaining the SAMSON Pod are shared, based on each nation's flight quota and actual use.{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}}

Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, and Ukraine use the [[Antonov An-30]] for their flights. The Czech Republic also used to use the An-30 for this purpose but apparently retired all of theirs from service in 2003.{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}}

Russia also uses a [[Tupolev Tu-154A|Tu-154M-ON]] monitoring aircraft. [[Germany]] formerly used this type as well until the aircraft was lost in [[1997_Namibia_mid-air_collision|a 1997 accident]]. Russia is phasing out both An-30 and Tu-154M-ON and replacing them with two [[Tupolev Tu-204#Tu-214ON|Tu-214ON]] with the registrations RA-64519 and RA-64525. This aircraft's new sensor suite, though, is being challenged by the US.{{Citation needed|date=September 2018}}<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Alejandro Micco, Tomás Serebrisky|date=2006|title=Competition regimes and air transport costs: The effects of open skies agreements|journal=Journal of International Economics|volume=70}}</ref>

Sweden uses a [[Saab 340]] aircraft ("OS-100") that was certified in 2004.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}

Until 2008, the U.K. designated aircraft was an [[Hawker Siddeley Andover|Andover C.1(PR)]] aircraft, registration XS596. Since then the U.K. has used a variety of aircraft including a Saab 340, an An-30, and an OC-135.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2013-07-16a.165334.h&s=((section:wrans)+open+skies)+speaker:11189#g165334.q0|title=Surveillance|website=TheyWorkForYou}}</ref>

In 2017, the [[German Air Force]] purchased an [[Airbus A319]] as its future Open Skies aircraft.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://augengeradeaus.net/2017/01/flugbereitschaft-erhaelt-zusaetzlichen-airbus/ |title=Flugbereitschaft erhält zusätzlichen Airbus |trans-title=Open Skies Adds Airbus Aircraft |date=5 January 2017 |first=T. |last=Wiegold |work=Augen geradeaus |language=de }}</ref>

=== Sensors ===
Open Skies aircraft may have video, optical panoramic, and framing cameras for daylight photography, infrared line scanners for a day/night capability, and [[synthetic aperture radar]] for a day/night all weather capability. Photographic image quality will permit recognition of major military equipment (e.g., permit a member state to distinguish between a tank and a truck), thus allowing significant transparency of military forces and activities. Sensor categories may be added and capabilities improved by agreement among member states. All sensors used in Open Skies must be commercially available to all signatories.<ref name=stategov /> Imagery resolution is limited to 30 centimetres.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.airforcemag.com/washington-debates-role-of-satellites-in-open-skies-treaty/|title=Washington Debates Role of Satellites in Open Skies Treaty|date=9 December 2019|website=Air Force Magazine|language=en-US|access-date=10 December 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Treaty on open skies |url=https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/1/5/14127.pdf |website=OSCE |access-date=24 March 2023}}</ref>

=== Quotas ===
Each state party is obligated to receive observation flights per its passive quota allocation. Each state party may conduct as many observation flights{{snd}}its active quota{{snd}}as its passive quota.<ref name=stategov /> During the first three years after entry into force, each state was obligated to accept no more than seventy-five percent of its passive quota. Since the overall annual passive quota for the United States is 42, this means that it was obligated to accept no more than 31 observation flights a year during this three-year period. Only two flights were requested over the United States during 2005, by the Russian Federation and Republic of Belarus group of states parties (which functions as a single entity for quota allocation purposes). The United States is entitled to 8 of the 31 annual flights available over Russia/Belarus. Additionally, the United States is entitled to one flight over Ukraine, which is shared with Canada.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gabriele|first=Mark David|title=The Treaty on Open Skies and its practical applications and implications for the United States}}</ref>

=== Data sharing and availability ===
Imagery collected from Open Skies missions is available to any state party upon request for the cost of reproduction. As a result, the data available to each state party is much greater than that which it can collect itself under the treaty quota system.<ref name=stategov />