The US military is conducting a surveillance flight over Russia as part of an international agreement, the Pentagon said Thursday.

The flight falls under the Open Skies Treaty, an international accord aimed at promoting military transparency through reciprocal, unarmed observation flights over each of the 34 signatory countries' terrains.

Due to tensions with Russia, this is the first Open Skies flight there since November 2017, Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jamie Davis said.

"Russia is aware of the flight," he said.

"Six Russian Federation observers are on board the US aircraft to monitor all phases of the flight."

The flight, which is due to end Friday, is being conducted with an unarmed OC-135B aircraft.

In December, the US and other nations conducted an "extraordinary" Open Skies flight over Ukraine in a mission to show support for Kiev following Russia's seizure of three Ukrainian naval vessels in the Sea of Azov.

The Open Skies Treaty has 34 national members and gives countries "the right to gather information about the military forces and activities of other" signatory countries, the Pentagon said.

Related Links
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com
All about missiles at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Putin warns new missiles could target 'decision-making centres'
Moscow (AFP) Feb 20, 2019
President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said Russia would have to deploy missiles targeting "decision-making centres" if Washington sends missiles to Europe. The announcement comes after the US said it would withdraw from a key Cold War-era arms treaty over what it said were Russian violations, prompting a mirror move from Moscow. "Russia does not intend to be the first to deploy such missiles in Europe," Putin said during an annual state of the nation address. "If (the US) develops and depl ... read more