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Facility Observation Overflights under the Treaty on Open Skies
Open Skies flight crew check aircraft sensors.
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The Treaty on Open Skies allows States Parties to fly over the entire territories of other States Parties in order to promote greater transparency and openness concerning the military affairs the participating States of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The Treaty was signed in 1992 and is intended to strengthen peace and security “from Vancouver to Vladivostok.” The Treaty entered into force on January 1, 2002.
Observation mission flights are flown using unarmed, specially certified aircraft equipped with Treaty-specified imaging sensors. Currently, Open Skies aircraft are equipped only with optical wet film panoramic and framing cameras, and with video cameras with real time display. Each of these cameras has a resolution limit of 30 centimeters. Although the Treaty also specifies infrared line-scanning devices (resolution limit: 50 centimeters) and sideways-looking synthetic aperture radar (SAR) (resolution limit: 3 meters), no States Parties have yet implemented these imaging sensors.
During observation mission flights, the Open Skies aircraft may overfly and image any area or facility located on the territory of the observed Party. The flight path, although agreed prior to take-off, may only be restricted for flight safety reasons—not for reasons associated with national security concerns.
Copies of the imagery data collected during observation mission flights are provided to the observing and to the observed Parties. All other States Parties may obtain a copy of this data by submitting a request and paying the costs for reproduction.
In order to notify U.S. facilities in advance of impending observation mission flights and to keep facilities informed about when they may be overflow and imaged, the Open Skies Division at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) has developed an early warning notification system. This system sends multiple messages throughout the mission to continually update subscribed facilities about the current status and location of the Open Skies aircraft.
Open Skies crew member
monitoring the flight path
and sensor data.
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The first message is sent shortly after the observing State Party arrives in the United States. Upon their arrival, the observing party will provide a proposed mission plan to U.S. officials. As the observed Party, the United States may accept the proposed plan or propose changes in accordance with Treaty provisions. Once a mission plan is accepted, flight path details will be entered into the Passive Overflight Module (POM). This database will allow DTRA personnel to identify which subscribed facilities are located along the flight path and may be within range of aircraft sensors.
The Telephone Notification System (TNS) and Defense Messaging Service (DMS) transmit notifications to facilities by email, fax, pager, and voice phone call messages. U.S. officials estimate that notified facilities will have a maximum of 24 hours in which to prepare prior to being overflown and imaged.
Facilities are advised to carefully assess the potential risks associated with Open Skies observation mission flights. Outdoor activities associated with research and development programs that test, evaluate, and modify aircraft, helicopters, ships, tanks, and other vehicles are subject to imaging. Signatures or indicators such as power sources, ventilation systems, cooling ponds, and pollution-affected vegetation could also potentially reveal proprietary, national security-related, or other sensitive information to a highly skilled analyst.
Certain types of facilities such as satellite, rocket, and missile launch facilities, may have ongoing or scheduled activities that might interfere with aircraft navigation or endanger flight safety. Such activities may need to be postponed. In most cases, potential problems can be avoided by simply covering an item of concern or moving it inside prior to an observation mission flight. In other cases, additional security countermeasures may need to be applied.
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