I'd like to tell you that TASS is spreading #OpenSkiesTreaty disinfo, but no, they are 100% correct.
The US delegation, for absolutely no technical or treaty-related reason, refuses to certify the new Tu-214, that uses the exact same digital camera as their Tu-154, used in 2017.
The OSCC vote to certify the Tu-214ON was unanimous, other than the US delegation who were told "from the top" not to sign-off. All provisions, limitations, and questions, were addressed before the final vote, and the US pulling out seems to have caught all allies unaware.
Certification of a new aircraft requires unanimous OSCC member consent.
The U.S. is 1 of 34 signatory countries to the treaty.
The U.S. is the only country to not approve certifying the plane (without explanation) despite all technical and procedural issues being addressed.
Votes to approve:
Belarus
The French Republic
Kingdom of the Netherlands
Turkey
Belgium
The Republic of Georgia
Norway
Ukraine
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Germany
Poland
The United Kingdom
Bulgaria
Greece
Portugal
Canada
Hungary
Romania
Croatia
Iceland
The Russian Federation
(con't)
The Czech Republic
Italy
Slovakia
Denmark
Latvia
Slovenia
Estonia
Lithuania
Spain
Finland
Luxembourg
Sweden
Votes against certifying the new Tu-214 with the same digital electro-optical sensor as they have been using for years:
The United States of America.
*Correction
The United States was 1 of 23 countries taking part in the certification of the Tu-214ON (not all 34 were taking part in the certification). The US was the only voice of dissent, and so far doesn't know why. They gave two weeks to make something up.
Anyone else remember the Voice of America, the propaganda wing of the US Government, operated by a puppet board, ordered around by Mike Pompeo/NSC, put out a hit piece with disinformation about the Russian digital electro-optical sensor; being illegal under the #OpenSkiesTreaty?
That was just weeks ago. I assume the last minute murder of the certification of the new Russian plane, using the same exact sensor as is already on their Tu-154, that already flies over the USA, was planned well in advance and the VOA piece was part of the disinformation effort.
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Quote:
"Typhoons launched .. on August 21 when two suspected Russian Su-30 Flanker aircraft appeared to be heading toward NATO airspace from the Crimea region."
The thin purple line over water is the limit of any country's airspace airspace
My ugly blue line represents NATO.
It is 300km-500km from Crimea to "NATO Airspace". My math is probably wrong, but isn't that a 10 minute flight if they break the sound barrier? If it took them longer than that, they weren't attacking. If they weren't expected to enter NATO airspace; why bother?
🇷🇺 Russian seismic research vessel Akademik Primakov (MMSI:273392760) is certainly looking for something in the Kara Sea at 5kn. (Before you get too excited, it could be mapping the Arctic shelf, to aid in Russian claims to it.) thebarentsobserver.com/en/industry-an…
h/t @nobit7
🇷🇺 Russian Project 21900M icebreaker Vladivosok (MMSI:273376280) has dropped anchor in the Kara Sea. I guess that's cheaper than burning diesel moving the largest non-nuclear icebreaker in the Russian fleet around...
🇷🇺 Russian Project 21900M icebreaker Vladivosok (MMSI:273376280) has been conducting (presumably) ice clearing operations off the East coast of... you guessed it... Novaya Zemlya.
...but that doesn't really prove anything; it's an icebreaker after all.
Дайвтехносервис (aka Dive Techno Services, Divetechnoservices, etc), a Russian reseller of dive equipment in St. Petersburg, was added to the US Treasury list of sanctions for conducting business with the FSB since 2007. diveservice.ru home.treasury.gov/news/press-rel…
The most notable transaction the US Treasury Department wanted to cite regarding this Russian business, and why they are prohibited from doing business with the US, was a $1.5M contract to the FSB to provide ROV(s) in 2011, 7 yrs ago.
🇺🇸 #USNavy Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton (Reg 168457|ICAO:AE5C72) has been aloft for ~7hrs, and is now off the coast of North Carolina at 50,000ft.
Russian Navy Viktor Leonov hasn't been seen leaving Feb 25 🤔
h/t @LepontDahu@GDarkconrad
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I'm going out on a limb and speculating that Viktor Leonov is back off the coast of Florida, but without visual confirmation from a local, in a boat, out at sea, off Daytona Beach past 12NM, I can't be certain.
The pattern, altitude, and heuristics look VERY similar to last year.
The middle of the orbit would put them at 24NM from shore. While inside 12NM is American waters, between 12NM and 24NM is the Contiguous Zone, which the US does have some additional rights in. Viktor Leonov could be just on the outside of 24NM, in the center of the orbit #CONZNE
I've been trying to figure out what the "Intelligence-Gathering Vessel" was that the @RoyalNavy (infuriatingly) wouldn't name or post pictures of that crossed the English Channel on Christmas Eve. Because of the timing, I strongly suspected it was the Viktor Leonov AGI. #SpyShip
I can now say, with a high degree of confidence, a Russian Navy AGI stopped in Trinidad & Tabago 2018-01-11 to restock, and they have likely left by now. I suspect, but cannot yet confirm, that AGI is the Viktor Leonov|Виктор Леонов, the Vishnya-class intelligence ship. #SpyShip
You may remember the collective freak-out when there was a Russian Navy intelligence gathering vessel off the US East Coast last Feb-Mar. That info was Secret(or higher)-classified Navy intelligence, leaked by the Pentagon, but there was no investigation or pursuit of the leaker.