Russian spy plane flies over Pentagon

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A low-flying Russian airplane created a buzz in the US capital on Wednesday, but it turns out the surveillance flight over the Capitol, Pentagon and other sites was cleared by the US government under a long-standing global treaty.

The flight was permitted under the Open Skies Treaty.

Russia and the United States are signatories to the treaty, which allows unarmed observation flights over the entire territory of all 34 member nations.

Reuters Photo

The flights are intended to foster transparency about military activity, reduce mistrust or misunderstandings and help monitor arms control and other agreements.

Dan Gaffney, a spokesman for the Pentagon, said he could not confirm the path of the plane until its mission was over.

"A typical mission has several segments (flights) taking place over a few days," Gaffney said.

But the US Capitol Police issued a heads-up, saying an "authorized low-altitude aircraft" would enter restricted airspace over the Capitol between 1100 and 1500.

"The aircraft will be large and may fly directly over the US Capitol," the statement said.

"This flight will be monitored by the US Capitol Police command center and other federal government agencies."

Since the treaty entered into force in 2002, there have been more than 1,200 Open Skies flights.

According to the Pentagon, the overflights are conducted by unarmed observation aircraft equipped with certain types of film and sensors that are certified under the treaty.

The Pentagon says that before the flights, each state is given the flight plan of the mission and an escort team flies aboard the aircraft to make sure it complies with the treaty.

After each flight, the host nation receives a copy of any imagery taken by the observation aircraft.

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Source(s): AP