Spain takes part in an Open Skies Treaty training flight in Canada

 A team from the Verification Unit monitored the flight on board the German observation aircraft, an Airbus A319 OH

A team comprising four representatives from the Spanish Verification Unit (UVE), accompanied by representatives from the German, British and Swedish Verification Units, carried out a training observation flight over Canadian territory under the Open Skies Treaty.

The German observation aircraft AIRBUS A319 OH was used for this flight, which took off from Halifax and Quebec airports. Currently, the Treaty relies primarily on this aircraft and the Romanian Antonov 30, both equipped with digital sensors.

Prior to the flight, both the aircraft and the observation sensors were inspected by representatives of the Canadian Verification Unit. A team from the Verification Unit monitored the flight on board the aircraft, as stipulated by the Treaty. In the final phase of the exercise, an in-flight interception was carried out by two Canadian Air Force F-18 fighter jets.

The resulting images were processed at the Stadacona naval base in Halifax, using the ground processing unit provided by the Federal Republic of Germany.

The Open Skies Treaty forms part of the commitments undertaken by the States Parties to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to promote greater openness and transparency in their military activities, as well as to contribute to the development and strengthening of peace, stability and security. This Treaty allows its participating States to observe any part of the territory of another participating State by taking aerial photographs with a maximum resolution of 30 centimetres.