MOSCOW. May 2 (Interfax-AVN) - A joint mission of Canada, the United Kingdom and Ukraine will perform an observation flight in Belarus and Russia consistent with the Open Skies Treaty; a Canadian C-130J observation aircraft will be taking off from the Kubinka airfield, head of the Russian national nuclear threat reduction center Sergei Ryzhkov said.
"Russian and Belarusian specialists will stay aboard the observation aircraft to control the strict compliance with the flight plan and the use of equipment prescribed by the Treaty," Ryzhkov said.
The C-130J observation aircraft is not meant to carry any weapons, he said.
"The plane and the observation equipment [aerial cameras] have passed international certification involving Russian specialists, which excludes the possibility of using gadgets unpermitted by the Treaty," Ryzhkov said.