The representative of the US Air Force said that the presence of two OC-135B aircraft is no longer necessary
NEW YORK, April 6. /TASS/. The US military decided to disassemble the aircraft for spare parts, which previously, according to the terms of the International Treaty on Open Skies (DON), were used by the United States to conduct observation flights over Russia. This was reported on Monday by The Wall Street Journal.
As the publication notes, in this regard, "questions arise regarding the plans of President [US Joe] Biden to return" to the DON. The decision to withdraw from the agreement was made by the previous US administration led by President Donald Trump.
A spokeswoman for the US Air Force said that the presence of two OC-135B aircraft is no longer necessary. In the coming months, they will be sent to an air base in Arizona, where there is a dump of aircraft equipment. A member of the US House of Representatives, Republican from Nebraska Don Bacon told the publication that the maintenance of aircraft is too expensive. "After delivery to the landfill, they will be disassembled for spare parts and cut into scrap metal," the lawmaker added.
The article quotes the words of a representative of the National Security Council of the White House regarding the possibility of the US returning to the DON. "We will make a decision at the right time, it is not related to the planned actions concerning outdated equipment," he said.
The head of the American Arms Control Association, Daryl Kimball, told the newspaper that the United States could return to the DON, despite the disposal of the aircraft. According to the expert, American specialists may be on board allied aircraft. "We can interact with our allies in the framework of joint missions, as we have done in the past when flying over the territory of Russia," Kimball said.
According to the publication, former employees of the Trump administration expressed confidence that the United States does not need to fly over Russian territory in light of the improvement of satellites. Sources said that the Trump administration last year offered to give these aircraft to the allies, but they did not show interest.
