A team from the German Verification Unit visits Villanubla Air Base

• The objective was to check the suitability of the base for use in the certification process of their A319 Open Skies aircraft

A team composed of 11 representatives of the Air Force of the Federal Republic of Germany has made a site survey visit to the Villanubla Air Base in Valladolid. The German group arrived on board their new Airbus A319 observation aircraft.

The German team, accompanied at all times by UVE Open Skies and Villanubla Air Base personnel, toured the various facilities of the base to check their suitability for use in the certification process of their A319 aircraft. In this sense, the team has supervised the availability of different supports, such as meteorological information, refuelling, air control and work rooms, among others.

The certification of the German aircraft, which will be carried out simultaneously with the certification of a digital camera mounted on the Romanian Antonov 30B aircraft, was scheduled for 2020, but had to be postponed due to the health situation resulting from the pandemic.

The certification process is scheduled for October in Germany, with the aircraft having to complete several technical protocols, including data collection flights. It is for this last activity that Villanubla Air Base has been chosen as an alternative option if the weather is not good in Germany. In 2019 the Federal Republic of Germany already performed its first training mission with this aircraft in Spain.

Open Skies Treaty

The Open Skies Treaty is part of the commitments made by the States Parties to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to promote greater openness and transparency in their military activities, contributing to the development and strengthening of peace, stability and security through the creation of an Open Skies regime for aerial observation. This Treaty allows its States Parties to observe any part of the territory of another State Party by taking aerial photographs with a maximum resolution of 30 centimetres.