The Tu-214ON specialised airborne surveillance aircraft developed under the Open Skies programme was a spice of the MAKS 2011 air show. It took to the skies for the first time from the airfield of the Kazan Aircraft Production Association (KAPO) on 1 June of this year and is undergoing tests. The plane was developed by Tupolev and built by KAPO on order of the Vega corporation, the prime contractor under the Open Skies programme. Once its trials have been complete, it will be delivered to the Russian Defence Ministry.

On its inspection flights under the Open Skies international agreement, Russia has used two types of aircraft, the Tu-154M-LK-1 and An-30B. To enhance the effectiveness of missions, Tupolev was contracted to develop a dedicated derivative of the Tu-214 airliner, fitted with the up-to-date multifunction air surveillance system from Vega. According to the system’s developer, the Tu-214ON “is the first plane among those of the 34 signatories to carry all of the surveillance equipment cleared by the agreement, namely four airborne photo cameras, three TV cameras, a synthetic aperture radar and a infrared linear scanner”. The mission equipment is housed behind special fuselage hatches and fairings, with operator and observer workstations in the cabin.

At MAKS 2011, the Tu-214ON (serial RA-64519) was both shown as a static display and demonstrated in flight, and the media were given an opportunity to familiarise with its airborne surveillance system equipment and the operator workstations.