Gennady Morshnev
Monday April 26, 2021 02:12 MSK / Rostec
A month ago, Russia officially announced that, following the United States, it was withdrawing from the Open Skies Treaty, to which more than 30 states are parties. Free flights of unarmed reconnaissance aircraft are allowed in the airspace of the participating countries.
Russia used three types of aircraft for these purposes, including the Tu-214ON aircraft equipped with an aviation surveillance complex developed by the Vega concern of the Rostec State Corporation. In the concern itself, this aircraft was called the flagship of the "Open Skies" flotilla, and now they are confident that the Tu-214ON will be able to find its use after the termination of the program. Vega has already announced its readiness to modernize the aircraft to meet new challenges.
In the "open sky" mode
The Open Skies Treaty is one of the important international agreements that strengthen confidence between states in the military sphere. The idea to "open" the sky for peaceful observation appeared back in 1955 by US President Dwight D. Eisenhower, but the participating countries were able to come to a comprehensive agreement only in 1992. Russia ratified the Open Skies Treaty (OST) in 2001, although it actually participated in it from the very beginning.
The essence of the treaty is to allow observation flights in the airspace of the signatory countries on specially trained unarmed aircraft. With the help of such inspections, control over the military activities of other countries is carried out: the state of military facilities, airfields, ports, and the movement of troops is recorded. Legal intelligence is designed to prevent an imperceptible military build-up in a particular country. In future, it is planned to use observation flights to solve problems in the field of ecology, eliminate the consequences of natural and man-made disasters and for other peaceful purposes.
Only internationally certified aircraft take part in the flights, and a representative of the observed state is on board during the inspection. Each country is given a certain flight limit for a year. More than 30 states cooperate within the framework of the agreement.
Until 2006, aerial cameras were the only equipment used for monitoring within the framework of the OST. Russia has used two types of aircraft for flights. During long missions "open skies" of the United States and Canada, the Tu-154M-LK-1 aircraft was investigated, and the An-30B aircraft was used for flights over the European part. In 2006, the agreement was expanded, and it became possible to use more diverse equipment for reconnaissance, including digital. The need arose for a new aviation surveillance system.
From civilians to scouts
The development of the new system was entrusted to the Vega concern (the Ruselectronics holding of the Rostec State Corporation) in cooperation with other enterprises. A special reconnaissance aircraft Tu-214ON was created at JSC Tupolev on the basis of the Tu-204 passenger airliner. Within the framework of the program, two aircraft were created: the first took off in 2011, the second in 2013. Later, the aircraft entered the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation, passed international certification and received permission to fly over the countries participating in the project. The Tu-214ON was built at the Kazan Aviation Plant named after S.P. Gorbunov.
Russia became the first country to use the entire range of equipment permitted by the treaty on one board. The Tu-214ON has panoramic and frame cameras with a resolution of 30 cm, which allow not only to take pictures of natural and artificial objects, but also to determine some of their physical characteristics. In addition to traditional aerial photography, reconnaissance using infrared systems with a resolution of 50 cm was added. They allow recording the temperature distribution of the earth's surface and conducting observation in any weather.
The Tu-214ON television complex includes three digital video cameras. Imaging in the infrared and visible ranges is complemented by the operation of side-looking radar devices with a synthetic aperture antenna for observation at any flight altitudes, including in poor weather conditions.
The aircraft's crew consists of 5 people. On board are equipped with a cabin for observers, five workstations and a life support system. In total, the Tu-214ON can accommodate up to 31 people during an observation mission and up to 56 people during a transit flight.
In addition to the on-board system itself, Vega's specialists have developed a ground-based complex for collecting, processing and decrypting information received during flights. The complex also includes a set of ground test objects for checking the resolution of observation equipment, training aids and procedural simulators.
New opportunities are opening up
At the time of its creation, the new Russian aircraft for the "Open Skies" was the most perfect participant in the program. Russia was ready to release legal winged scouts for other countries as well. But not all parties to the agreement liked the advanced capabilities of the Tu-214ON - in 2014, the United States blocked the aircraft's participation in the project, citing the possibility of installing undocumented equipment. In 2019, one of the Tu-214ON aircraft nevertheless flew over US territory. However, the contradictions between the countries grew, and in 2020 the Americans announced their withdrawal from the Treaty.
After Russia, following the United States, announced its withdrawal from the Treaty in January 2021, the question arose about the future fate of the Tu-214ON. The aircraft was originally created taking into account the possible use not only within the framework of the Open Skies Treaty. It was assumed that the system could also be used for patrolling border areas and in the interests of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
Vega General Designer Vladimir Verba said that the concern is ready to modernize Tu-214ON aircraft to solve problems not related to observations within the framework of the OST. As a result of additional equipment, the aircraft will be able to be used as reconnaissance aircraft. In addition, the Tu-214ON can be used to monitor the security of military facilities of the Russian Federation, objectively monitor the test results of various weapons and assess the effectiveness of exercises.
The aircraft will also be in demand for such purely civilian tasks as mapping, assessing ice conditions on rivers and seas, which can be very important within the framework of the Arctic program. According to Verba, the airborne surveillance complex is built on the principles of open architecture, which allows it to be used both in the existing composition and with additional modernization. Re-profiling and further development of Tu-214ON and other aircraft of the Open Sky project, will depend on the wishes of the customer.
P.S. Boeing OC-135B aircraft, previously used by the United States under the Open Skies Treaty, will be sent to a "graveyard" near the Davis-Monten Air Force Base in Arizona in May-June, The World Herald reported. These aircraft are located in the state of Nebraska, where the Offut Air Force Base is, reported by Kommersant.
Reporters were told about plans to mothball the planes by House Representative Don Bacon, who previously commanded the 55th Wing of the US Air Force, based at Offut AFB. The retired brigadier general referred to the Air Force report to Congress on behalf of the US Air Force Secretary John Roth. The information that the aircraft will be sent to the "cemetery" was confirmed to the publication by the press service of the Air Force.
In future, the aircraft will be "dismantled for parts, and eventually cut."
“I wish it weren’t so, but it’s so,” - said Don Bacon. In his opinion, this decision "closes the door for the return of the United States to the Treaty," although during the election campaign Joe Biden called the decision of the then White House owner Donald Trump to withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty "erroneous." “They (US Air Force) Have decided that they will no longer deal with Open Skies. The withdrawal from the Treaty (in the report sent to Congress) Is spoken of as something self-evident," - said Don Bacon.
Note that Joe Biden, during his first telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin after his inauguration, made it clear that Washington could return to the Open Skies Treaty, but noted that it would take time to work out the appropriate decision. A little later, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported how long Moscow was ready to wait until summer.
The Open Skies Treaty, which came into force in 2002 and allows the military of 33 countries to make observation flights over each other's territories, is perhaps the last really operating instrument of conventional arms control in Europe. The US pulled out of it last year, citing Russia's incomplete compliance with the Treaty. Moscow then considered that Washington was only looking for an excuse to get rid of the need to receive Russian inspectors. After the US withdrew from the Treaty, Russia demanded guarantees from its European allies that the information they collected while flying over Russian territories would not be passed on to the Americans. But they did not agree to this, and then the authorities of the Russian Federation announced the launch of domestic procedures for withdrawing from the Open Skies Treaty.
Tu-214ON (Open Skies) Reconnaissance Aircraft: Details
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