Treaty on Open Skies signed by 26 participating States
When
9 July 1992 (All day)
Where
Helsinki
(USAF)C-130 Hercules planes are used as Open Skies aircraft. The Open Skies Treaty allows States to overfly each others' territory with an observation aircraft. The flights can be used for conflict prevention, crisis management and to protect the environment.
(USAF)
At the Helsinki Summit, Heads of State or Government welcomed the signature of the Treaty on Open Skies by 26 participating States and adopted the Declaration on the Treaty on Open Skies, which can be found in the Summit document The Challenges of Change.
The Treaty, which aims to promote openness and transparency in military activities, established a regime of observation flights over the territory of its signatories. Signatories are allowed to conduct observation flights, using unarmed, fixed-wing aircraft, to gather information about military forces and activities of other States Parties to the Treaty.