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Courtney, you don't know me, but you're going to remember me. I hope that the information I provide you with in the following thread prevents such an atrocity from ever happening again. Atrocity? I mean this article.
No. The USAF is not conducting a surveillance flight over Russia. They are conducting an observation flight with Russians aboard. Surveillance flights, as you linked to, are done with surveillance planes. The OC-135 is not such a plane, it is a treaty-compliant observation plane. 
1) Please remove the link relating to surveillance flights, it is damaging to the treaty and the concept, and has absolutely nothing to do with the topic.
2) Please call it an "observation flight", as the Dept of State would like you to do; because that's what it is.
2) Please call it an "observation flight", as the Dept of State would like you to do; because that's what it is.
They arrived in Russia Monday, and will be leaving Saturday. As of Thursday, you are the first to report on it from the major outlets. The Russian MoD announced the flight on 2019-02-18. You may want to set up a Google Alert for future flights, since the USAF wont tell you.
You don't know it, but there is a huge story there regarding why there were no quota flights in 2018. You will have a hard time dragging it out of anyone, so good luck. PS, If they don't say the words Georgia in their explanation, they're lying.
The number is 34. The link I highlighted, that you included is about Open Skies Agreements, which have absolutely nothing to do with the Treaty on Open Skies / Open Skies Treaty. I get it, you're busy, you're rushed, and you're underpaid - but that link needs fixing. Please. (3)
Observation Flights. They are not Reconnaissance, Surveillance, or anything else. They are observation flights. That's what the treaty calls them, that's what the State Dept calls them, the US Government, and all governments call them that. That's what they are. Please fix. (4)
I think Lt. Col. Jamie Davis is having some fun with you; of course they are aware of the flight, they negotiated a flight plan Monday, and crawled all over the US plane for the past 3 days. They have people on the plane too.
Of course they are aware!
Of course they are aware!
I understand fully that you are at a disadvantage because the USAF by policy doesn't tell the press about these flights, and it's an uphill battle to get anything out of them, which is why I wrote this for you, and your colleagues, in 2017. Good luck.
vesselofinterest.com/2017/08/a-jour…
vesselofinterest.com/2017/08/a-jour…
