Russian inspectors to go on Open Skies mission in Germany, Benelux
MOSCOW. March 31 (Interfax-AVN) - Russian inspectors will go on an Open Skies mission in Germany and Benelux countries aboard Russia's observation aircraft Antonov An-30B, head of the Russian National Nuclear Threat Reduction Center Sergei Ryzhkov told Interfax-AVN.
"The observation flight will be performed consistent with the Open Skies Treaty on March 31 - April 5 from the Open Skies airport in Brussels, Belgium, on a maximum range of 945 kilometers in Benelux and 1,300 kilometers in Germany," Ryzhkov said.
The observation flight aims to verify military activity of Open Skies Treaty member states and to build confidence, he said.
The Russian observation plane will follow the route coordinated with the inspected parties, and Benelux and German specialists will be stationed onboard to control the use of observation instruments and compliance with the Treaty provisions, Ryzhkov said.
The Center head noted that would be the fifth observation flight performed by Russian inspectors in Open Skies Treaty member countries in 2014.