SECTION I. GENERAL PROVISIONS

1. Each State Party shall have the right to participate in the certification of an observation aircraft of each type and model and its associated set of sensors designated by another State Party pursuant to Article V of the Treaty, during which the observation aircraft and its sensors shall be examined both on the ground and in-flight.

2. Each certification shall be conducted in order to establish:

(A) that the aircraft is of a type and model designated pursuant to Article V of the Treaty;

(B) that the sensors installed on the observation aircraft are of a category specified in Article IV, paragraph 1 of the Treaty and satisfy the requirements specified in Article IV, paragraph 2 of the Treaty;

(C) that the technical information has been provided in accordance with the provisions of Annex B, Section I to the Treaty;

(D) in the event that the ground resolution of a sensor is dependent upon height above ground level, the minimum height above ground level from which each such sensor installed on an observation aircraft of that type and model may be operated during an observation flight, pursuant to the limitation on ground resolution specified in Article IV, paragraph 2 of the Treaty;

(E) in the event that the ground resolution is not dependent upon height above ground level, the ground resolution of each such sensor installed on an observation aircraft of that type and model, pursuant to the limitation on ground resolution specified in Article IV, paragraph 2 of the Treaty, and

(F) that the covers for sensor apertures or other devices that inhibit the operation of sensors are in their proper position in accordance with the provisions of Article IV, paragraph 4 of the Treaty.

3. Each State Party conducting a certification shall notify all other States Parties, no less than 60 days in advance, of the period of seven days during which the certification of that observation aircraft and its sensors will take place. Such notification shall specify:

(A) the State Party conducting the certification of the observation aircraft and its sensors;

(B) the point of entry at which personnel of the States Parties taking part in the certification should arrive;

(C) the location at which the certification is to be conducted;

(D) the dates on which the certification is to begin and end;

(E) the number, type and model of each observation aircraft to be certified; and

(F) the type and model, description and configuration of each sensor installed on the observation aircraft to be certified, in accordance with the format specified in Annex B, Appendix 1 to the Treaty.

4. No later than ten days after receipt of the notification pursuant to the provisions of paragraph 3 of this Section, each State Party shall notify all other States Parties of its intention to participate in the certification of such aircraft and its sensors pursuant to the provisions of Article IV, paragraph 11. The number of individuals that shall participate in the certification from amongst those States Parties that notified their intention to participate shall be decided upon within the Open Skies Consultative Commission. Unless otherwise ageed, the number of individuals shall total no more than 40 and include no more than four from any one State Party. In the event that two or more States Parties notify their intention to conduct a certification during the same period, it shall be decided within the Open Skies Consultative Commission which of them shall conduct the certification in this period.

5. Each State Party taking part in the certification shall notify the State Party conducting the certification no less than 30 days prior to the date on which the certification of the observation aircraft is to begin, as notified in accordance with paragraph 3 of this Section, of the following:

(A) the names of the individuals taking part in the certification and, in the event that a noncommercial transport aircraft is used to travel to the point of entry, a list of the names of the crew members, in each case specifying gender, date of birth, place of birth and passport number. All such individuals shall be on the list of individuals designated pursuant to Article XIII, Section I of the Treaty;

(B) the date and the estimated time of arrival of such individuals at the point of entry; and

(C) the mode of transport used to arrive at the point of entry.

6. No less than 14 days prior to the date on which the certification of the observation aircraft is to begin, as notified in accordance with paragraph 3 of this Section, the State Party conducting the certification shall provide the States Parties which are taking part in the certification with the following information for each sensor installed on the observation aircraft, and for associated equipment used for the annotation of data collected by sensors:

(A) a description of each constituent part of the sensor, including its purpose, and any connection to associated equipment used for the annotation of data;

(B) photographs taken of each sensor separate from the observation aircraft, in accordance with the following specifications:

(1) each sensor shall fill at least 80 per cent of the photograph either horizontally or vertically;

(2) such photographs may be either color or black and white and shall measure 18 centimetres by 24 centimetres, excluding the border; and

(3) each photograph shall be annotated with the category of the sensor, its type and model, and the name of the State Party that is presenting the sensor for certification;

(C) instructions on the in-flight operation of each sensor.

7. In the event that no State Party notifies its intention to take part in the certification in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 5 of this Section, the State Party shall conduct by itself an in-flight examination in accordance with the provisions of Section III of this Annex and complete a certification report in accordance with the provisions of Section IV of this Annex.

8. The provisions of Article XIII, Section II of the Treaty shall apply to the personnel of each State Party taking part in the certification during the entire period of their stay on the territory of the State Party conducting the certification.

9. The personnel of each State Party taking part in the certification shall leave the territory of the State Party conducting the certification promptly after signing the certification report.

SECTION II. GROUND EXAMINATION

1. With the approval of the State Party conducting the certification, ground examinations by more than one State Party may be conducted simultaneously. States Parties shall have the right jointly to conduct a ground examination of the observation aircraft and its sensors. The State Party conducting the certification shall have the right to determine the number of personnel engaged at any one time in the ground examination of an observation aircraft and its sensors.

2. Unless otherwise agreed, the ground examination shall not exceed three eight-hour periods for each observation aircraft and its sensors.

3. Prior to the commencement of the ground examination, the State Party conducting the certification shall provide the States Parties taking part in the certification with the following information:

(A) for optical panoramic and framing cameras:
(1) the modulation transfer curve of the response of the lens to spatial frequency (frequency/ contrast characteristic) at the maximum relative aperture of that lens, in lines per millimetre;

(2) specifications of the black and white aerial film that will be used to collect data during an observation flight, or for the duplication of such data, in accordance with the provisions of Annex K, Section I, paragraph 2 to the Treaty;

(3) specifications of the film processors which will be used to develop original film negatives and duplicators that will be used to produce film positives or negatives, in accordance with the provisions of Annex K, Section I, paragraph 1 to the Treaty; and

(4) flight test data showing ground resolution as a function of height above ground level for each type of aerial film that will be used with the optical camera;

(B) for video cameras, flight test data from all output devices showing ground resolution as a function of height above ground level;

(C) for infrared line-scanning, devices, flight test data from all output devices showing ground resolution as a function of height above ground level; and

(D) for sideways-looking synthetic aperture radar, flight test data from all output devices showing ground resolution as a function of slant range from the aircraft.

4. Prior to the commencement of the ground examination, the State Party conducting the certification shall provide a briefing to the State Party or States Parties taking part in the certification on:

(A) its plan for the conduct of the ground examination of the observation aircraft and its sensors;

(B) the observation aircraft, as well as its sensors, associated equipment and covers for sensor apertures or other devices that inhibit the operation of sensors, indicating their location on the observation aircraft with the help of diagrams, photographs, slides and other visual materials;

(C) all necessary safety precautions that shall be observed during the ground examination of the observation aircraft and its sensors; and

(D) the inventory procedures that escorts of the State Party conducting the certification intend to use pursuant to paragraph 6 of this Section.

5. Prior to the commencement of the ground examination, each State Party taking part in the certification shall deliver to the State Party conducting the certification a list of each item of equipment to be used during the ground examination or in-flight examination. The States Parties conducting the examination shall be permitted to take on board the observation aircraft and use video cameras, hand-held audio recorders and hand-held electronic computers. The States Parties taking part in the certification shall be permitted to use other items of equipment, subject to the approval of the State Party conducting the certification.

6. The States Parties taking part in the certification shall, together with the State Party conducting the certification, conduct an inventory of each item of equipment provided for in paragraph 5 of this Section, and review the inventory procedures which shall be followed to confirm that each item of equipment brought on board the observation aircraft by the States Parties taking part in the certification has been removed from the observation aircraft upon conclusion of the examination.

7. Personnel of each State Party taking part in the certification shall have the right to conduct the following activities during the ground examination on the observation aircraft and of each sensor installed on the observation aircraft:

(A) confirm that the number and configuration of each sensor installed on the observation aircraft correspond to the information provided in accordance with the provisions of Section I, paragraph 6 of this Annex, Annex C and Annex B, Section I;

(B) familiarize themselves with the installation of each sensor on the observation aircraft, including the constituent parts thereof and their connections to each other and to any associated equipment used for the annotation of data;

(C) obtain a demonstration of the control and operation of each sensor; and

(D) familiarize themselves with the flight test data provided in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 3 of this Section.

8. At the request of any State Party taking part in the certification, the State Party conducting the certification shall photograph any sensor installed on the observation aircraft, the associated equipment on the observation aircraft, or the sensor apertures with their covers or devices which inhibit the operation of sensors. Such photographs shall fulfill the requirements specified in Section I, paragraph 6, subparagraphs (B)(1), (2) and (3) of this Annex.

9. The State Party conducting the certification shall have the right to designate personnel to accompany throughout the ground examination the personnel of the States Parties taking part in the certification to confirm compliance with the provisions of this Section. The personnel of the State Party conducting the certification shall not interfere with the activities of the States Parties taking part in the certification, unless such activities conflict with the safety precautions provided for in paragraph 4, subparagraph (C) of this Section.

10. The State Party conducting the certification shall provide the States Parties taking part in the certification access to the entire observation aircraft, its sensors and associated equipment and sufficient power to operate its sensors and associated equipment. The State Party conducting the certification shall open such compartments or remove panels or barriers, to the extent necessary to permit examination of any sensor and associated equipment subject to certification.

11. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section, the ground examination shall be conducted in a manner that does not:

(A) degrade, damage, or prevent subsequent operation of the observation aircraft or its sensors;

(B) alter the electrical or mechanical structure of the observation aircraft or its sensors; or

(C) impair the airworthiness of the observation aircraft.

12. The States Parties taking part in the certification shall have the right to take measurements, and make notes, sketches, similar records and recordings using the items of equipment listed in paragraph 5 of this Section, relating to the observation aircraft, its sensors and their associated equipment. Such working materials may be retained by the State Party taking part in the certification and shall not be subject to any review or examination by the State Party conducting the certification.

13. The State Party conducting the certification shall make every effort to answer questions of the States Parties taking part in the certification that pertain to the ground examination.

14. Upon completion of the ground examination, the States Parties taking part in the certification shall leave the observation aircraft, and the State Party conducting the certification shall have the right to use its own inventory procedures set forth in accordance with paragraph 6 of this Section to confirm that all the equipment used during the ground examination in accordance with paragraph 5 of this Section has been removed from the observation aircraft.

SECTION III. IN-FLIGHT EXAMINATION

1. In addition to conducting a ground examination of the observation aircraft and its sensors, the State Party conducting the certification shall conduct one in-flight examination of its sensors which shall be sufficient to:

(A) permit observation of the operation of all the sensors installed on the observation aircraft;

(B) in the event that the ground resolution of a sensor is dependent upon height above ground level, establish the minimum height above ground level from which each such sensor installed on an observation aircraft of that type and model shall be operated for any observation flight, in accordance with the limitation on ground resolution specified in Article IV, paragraph 2 of the Treaty; and

(C) in the event that the ground resolution of a sensor is not dependent upon height above ground level, establish the ground resolution of each such sensor installed on an observation aircraft of that type and model is in accordance with the limitation on ground resolution specified in Article IV, paragraph 2 of the Treaty.

2. Prior to the commencement of the in-flight examination of the sensors, the State Party conducting the certification shall brief the States Parties participating in the certification on its plan for the conduct of the in-flight examination. This briefing shall include the following information:

(A) a diagram of the calibration targets that it intends to use for the in-flight examination in accordance with the provisions of Appendix 1, Section I, paragraph 5 to this Annex;

(B) the estimated time, meteorological conditions, number, direction and height above ground level of each pass over the calibration target appropriate to each sensor to be certified; and

(C) all necessary safety precautions that shall be observed during the in-flight examination of the observation aircraft and its sensors.

3. Prior to and during the conduct of the in-flight examination, States Parties takng part in the certification shall have the right to visit the location of the calibration targets. The State Party conducting the certification shall provide such items of equipment as required to confirm that the calibration targets meet the specifications set forth in Appendix 1, Section I to this Annex.

4. The in-flight examination shall be conducted during clear atmospheric daytime conditions, unless otherwise agreed, over the calibration targets appropriate to each category of sensor installed on the observation aircraft in accordance with the provisions of Appendix 1, Section II to this Annex, to determine the ground resolution of each sensor.

5. The State Party conducting the certification shall provide such data on the meteorological conditions at the location of the calibration targets during the in-flight examination of the sensors as are necessary to make the calculations in accordance with the methodologies specified in Appendix 1, Section III to this Annex.

6. Each State Party shall have the right to designate personnel to take part in the in-flight examination. In the event that the number of individuals so designated exceeds the passenger capacity of the observation aircraft, the States Parties participating in the certification shall agree which of its personnel shall participate in the in-flight examination.

7. Personnel of the States Parties designated pursuant to paragraph 6 of this Section shall have the right to observe the operation of the sensors by personnel of the State Party conducting the certification.

8. Personnel of the States Parties taking part in the certification shall have the right to monitor the unsealing of the film cassette and the storage, processing and handling of the original film negative exposed during the in-flight examination, in accordance with the provisions of Annex K, Section II to the Treaty.

SECTION IV. CERTIFICATION REPORT

1. Upon completion of the sound and in-flight examinations, data collected by sensors and from the calibration targets shall be examined jointly by the State Party conducting the certification and the States Parties taking part in the certification. These States Parties shall prepare a certification report which shall establish:

(A) that the observation aircraft is of a type and model designated pursuant to Article V of the Treaty;

(B) that the sensors installed on the observation aircraft are of a category provided for in Article IV, paragraph 1 of the Treaty and satisfy the requirements of Article IV, paragraph 2 of the Treaty;

(C) that the technical information on sensors has been provided in accordance with Annex B, Section I to the Treaty;

(D) in the event that the ground resolution of a sensor is dependent upon height above ground level, the minimum height above ground level at which each such sensor on an observation aircraft of that type and model may be operated during an observation flight pursuant to the limitation on ground resolution specified in Article IV, paragraph 2 of the Treaty;

(E) in the event that the ground resolution is not dependent upon height above ground level, the ground resolution of each such sensor installed on an observation aircraft of that type and model, pursuant to the limitations on ground resolution specified in Article IV, paragraph 2 of the Treaty; and

(F) that the covers for sensor apertures or other devices that inhibit the operation of sensors are in accordance with the provisions of Article IV, paragraph 4 of the Treaty.

2. A copy of the information for each sensor provided pursuant to Section I, paragraph 6 and Section II, paragraphs 3 and 8 of this Annex shall be attached to the certification report.

3. Copies of the certification report shall be provided to all other States Parties by the State Party conducting the certification. States Parties that did not take part in the certification shall not have the right to reject the conclusions contained in the certification report.

4. An observation aircraft and its associated set of sensors shall be deemed to be certified unless the States Parties taking part in the certification are unable to reach agreement on the contents of the certification report.

5. In the event that the State Party conducting the certification and States Parties taking part in the certification are unable to reach agreement on the contents of the certification report, the observation aircraft shall not be used for observation flights until the issue is resolved.

The ground resolution of each sensor installed on the observation aircraft, and, where its performance depends on height above ground level, the minimum height above ground level at which this sensor may be operated during an observation flight, shall be determined and confirmed on the basis of data collected over calibration targets appropriate to each category of sensor in accordance with the specifications in Section I and calculated in accordance with the methodologies to be determined within the Open Skies Consultative Commission.

SECTION I. SPECIFICATIONS FOR CALIBRATION TARGETS

1. Calibration targets shall be provided by the State Party conducting the certification in accordance with the provisions of Annex D to the Treaty. Such calibration targets shall be used to establish the ground resolution of sensors, of a type appropriate to each sensor category, and designed in accordance with characteristics specified below.

2. Calibration targets for establishing the ground resolution of optical cameras shall consist of a series of groups of alternating black and white bars. Each group of bars shall consist of a minimum of two black bars separated by a white bar. The width of black and white bars within a group shall remain constant. The width of the bars in groups of bars in the calibration target shall change in steps sufficient to ensure accurate measurement of the ground resolution. The length of the bars shall remain constant within each group. The contrast ratio of the black to white bars shall be consistent throughout the target and shall be at least 5 to 1 (equivalent to a modulation of 0.66).

3. Calibration targets for establishing the ground resolution of infra-red line-scanning devices shall be determined within the Open Skies Consultative Commission during the period of provisional application.

4. Calibration targets for establishing the ground resolution of sideways-looking synthetic aperture radar shall consist of arrays of trihedral corner reflectors whose configuration shall be in accordance with the methodologies determined within the Open Skies Consultative Commission during the period of provisional application.

5. Each State Party shall provide all other States Parties with a diagram of the calibration targets that it intends to use for the purpose of in-flight examination. Such diagrams shall be annotated with the overall dimensions of the calibration targets, their locations and the type of terrain on which they are deployed, as well as the information appropriate to each type of calibration target as determined within the Open Skies Consultative Commission during the period of provisional application.

SECTION II. CONDUCT OF IN-FLIGHT EXAMINATION

1. In order to establish the ground resolution of panoramic or vertically-installed framing cameras, the line of flight of the observation aircraft shall be directly over and parallel to the calibration target. In order to establish the ground resolution of obliquely-installed framing cameras, the line of flight of the observation aircraft shall be parallel to the calibration target at a range such that the image of the calibration target appears in the foreground of the field of view of the optical camera set at its maximum angle measured from the horizontal or minimum angle measured from the vertical.

2. In order to establish the ground resolution of an infra-red line-scanning device, the line of flight of the observation aircraft shall be directly over and parallel to the calibration target at an agreed range of heights above ground level.

3. In order to establish the ground resolution of a sideways-looking synthetic aperture radar, the line of flight of the observation aircraft shall be to the side of the array of the corner reflectors.

SECTION III. ANALYSIS OF DATA COLLECTED DURING THE IN-FLIGHT
EXAMINATION

1. Following the in-flight examination, the State Party conducting the certification and the States Parties taking part in the certification shall jointly analyse the data collected during the in-flight examination pursuant to Annex D, Section IV, paragraph 1 to the Treaty.

2. The methodology for calculating the minimum height above ground level at which each optical camera installed on the observation aircraft may be operated during an observation flight, including the value of the contrast ratio or the equivalent modulation to be used in this calculation, which shall be not less than 1.6:1 (correspondingly 0.23) and not greater than 4:1 (correspondingly 0.6), shall be determined within the Open Skies Consultative Commission during the period of provisional application and prior to 30 June 1992. The ground resolution of optical cameras shall be determined from a visual analysis of the image of the calibration target on the original film negative. The numerical value of ground resolution shall be equal to the width of the smallest bar of the calibration target that is distinguishable as a separate bar.

3. The methodology for calculating the minimum height above ground level at which each video camera installed on the observation aircraft may be operated during an observation flight shall be determined within the Open Skies Consultative Commission during the period of provisional application.

4. The methodology for calculating the minimum height above ground level at which an infra-red line-scanning device installed on the observation aircraft may be operated during an observation flight, including the value of the minimum resolvable temperature difference to be used in this calculation, shall be determined within the Open Skies Consultative Commission during the period of provisional application.

5. The methodology for calculating the ground resolution of a sideways-looking synthetic aperture radar, including the determination of the relationship between the impulse response method and the object separation method, shall be determined within the Open Skies Consultative Commission during the period of provisional application.