Washington residents were startled in April 2017 to see a low-flying aircraft transit directly through the normally restricted airspace at the center of the U.S. capital, with all its monuments and iconic government buildings.Many were more surprised to learn that the aircraft in question was a Russian Tupolev Tu-154 spy plane and that the mission was approved in advance by U.S. authorities.The incident called attention to the Open Skies Treaty, a 1992 pact in which the United States, Russia and 32 other countries agree to permit such unarmed missions under strictly controlled conditions.The idea, first put forward in the 1950s, …read more
Source:: Voice of America
