Open skies in the West Country?
 

I was wandering around Dartmouth this morning around 1145, when an unusual twin turboprop made its presence known.

It was at several thousand feet, and flew directly over the RN College, and looked very much like an An-30?

The only other time I've seen one it was operating from Brize doing an Open Skies Treaty mission. Is there anything like that going on at the moment?

DH

Yes... RA-30078 flew into Brize on the 12th, it's here until tomorrow (16th).

-RP

Thanks Rp, it's good to know that my aircraft recognition may still be up to snuff?

What equipment do we use to reciprocate the treaty, or can't we afford to do it any longer?

We used to use Andover C.1(PR) XS596 until she was scrapped in 2013. Dunno if she was replaced though.

we ask nicely if someone over there would mind awfully popping up a step ladder and taking a selfie.

Some years ago, I also used to fly Andover XS596 into Kubinka (Russia) to conduct Open Skies missions. They were seriously good fun trips, though, the food and the accommodation were questionable! On one occasion we flew all the way up to Olenyagorsk (Murmansk) to overfly and photograph the Russian submarine fleet. Regrettably, the sky was overcast with low cloud and we didn't see too much. Our hosts, the RU Naval Aviation Wing (Backfire crew), entertained us very well within their Officers Mess. The UK no longer has the equipment to conduct Open Skies Missions and so the Dutch AF (or it might be the Belgian AF, can't remember) carry out those missions on our behalf.

How embarrassing is that - Cloggies and the Belgiques having to cover for us..............mind you, could see it as recompense for 1939/40, but ye gods, how low have we sunk. Totally spoiled my Saturday.

The UK scrapped the andovers when it realised they existed solely to conduct a maximum of four operational flights per year. The current arrangements work very well (charter as appropriate) and is in fact aomething most countries now do rather than sustain an expensive aircraft for little other reason.

The question of replacement versus statis quo has been raosed many times and the answer is always clear - its a very minor nice to have and the money assigned could actually do a lot more good elsewhere, eapecially wjen we have a perfectly good solution right now at minimal cost.

And yes, the Russians were in town this week!

Maybe the Rooskies might convert a Blackjack for Open Skies missions? That would be quite a worrisome sight overhead Dartmouth! Or over anywhere else for that matter!