Russia’s first Tu-214ON aircraft specially equipped for the international Open Skies program has successfully completed a series of test flights, the plane maker said on Wednesday.
“A total of 24 flights have been made,” The Kazan Aircraft Production Association said.
“The Tu-214ON is now being prepared for certification tests, which are due to start next year.”
The first test flight was made in June.
The aircraft is designed to carry out inspection flights under the Treaty on Opens Skies. It is provided with aerial imagery tools and cameras to study the military infrastructure of other countries and monitor changes in the interest of maintaining international peace.
The treaty was signed on March 24, 1992 by 27 OSCE member states and currently has 34 signatories. Russia ratified the treaty in May 2001.
It establishes a program of unarmed aerial surveillance flights over the entire territory of its participants.
The treaty is designed to enhance mutual understanding and confidence by giving all participants a direct role in gathering information about military forces and activities of concern to them.
