B747F IN FOREIGN AIRSPACE DURING A NIGHT OP EXPERIENCES AN ALTDEV ALT OVERSHOT WHEN ALTIMETER SETTING PROCS USED WERE BASED ON QFE VERSUS QNH.

Narrative

DURING OUR ARR INTO MOSCOW; WE WERE INITIALLY CLRED FOR THE 'UM25B.' OVERHEAD THE 'BW' NDB WE WERE THEN GIVEN RADAR VECTORS AND A DSCNT TO 3100 METERS. THE APCH PAGES ALL INDICATE THAT QNH IS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST AND TRANSITION OCCURS AROUND 1500 METERS (OR APPROX 4000 FT). WHEN CLRED FOR EACH SUBSEQUENT ALT BELOW TRANSITION; WE ASKED APCH TO CONFIRM ALTS WERE BASED ON QNH AND WE WERE ASSURED THAT THEY WERE. WE WERE PASSED OFF TO SVO TWR AT APPROX 1200 FT AGL ON A HDG OF 180 DEGS WHICH WAS A 70 DEG INTERCEPT HDG TO THE ILS TO RWY 25L. THE FIRST INDICATION THAT WE WERE BELOW THE DESIRED OR INTENDED ALT WAS WHEN THE TWR CTLR ADVISED US THAT WE WERE ALMOST 200 METERS LOW. WE WERE STILL ABOVE 1000 FT AGL AND BEGAN A CLB UP TO INTERCEPT THE GS. WE WERE IN FULL VMC CONDITIONS WITH THE FIELD IN SIGHT. THE PROB COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF THE CTLR HAD UNDERSTOOD THAT WE WERE INTENDING TO FLY ALTS BASED ON QNH; WHICH WE ASKED EACH TIME A NEW ALT WAS ASSIGNED AND WERE ASSURED BY THE CTLR THAT INDEED IT WAS QNH; OR IF WE HAD STAYED ON THE PUBLISHED ARR WHERE BOTH QNH AND QFE (IN PARENTHESIS) ALTS WERE PUBLISHED OR SIMPLY FLY THE QFE PROCS; WHICH IN THE WORST CASE SCENARIO ALWAYS PUT THE ACFT ABOVE THE INTENDED OR CLRED ALT IF QNH ALTS WERE ASSIGNED; INADVERTENTLY. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 360032: UPON ARR IN THE MOSCOW AREA; THE FE RECEIVED THE ATIS AND WE PLANNED THE APCH. THE BRIEFING WAS COMPLETED AND WE REFED THAT QNH WAS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST SO WE BRIEFED THAT WE WOULD USE QNH.