) aircraft Prior to the 20th century, machines for powered and
controllable flight were not available to
military forces, but some attempts were made to use
lighter than air craft. During the
Napoleonic Wars and
Franco-Prussian War,
balloons were
used for aerial reconnaissance by the French. In
World War I, aircraft were deployed during early phases of battle in reconnaissance roles as 'eyes of the
army' to aid ground forces. Photography became the primary and best-known method of intelligence collection for reconnaissance aircraft by the end of
World War II. World War I also saw use of
floatplanes to locate enemy warships. After the
battle of Jutland demonstrated the limitations of
seaplane tenders, provisions were made for
capital ships to carry, launch, and recover
observation seaplanes. These seaplanes could scout for enemy warships beyond the visual range of the ship's lookouts, and could spot the
fall of shot during long range artillery engagements. Observation seaplanes were replaced by
helicopters after World War II. After World War II and during the
Cold War the
United States developed several dedicated reconnaissance aircraft designs, including the
U-2 and
SR-71, to monitor the
nuclear arsenal of the
Soviet Union. Other types of reconnaissance aircraft were built for specialized roles in
signals intelligence and electronic monitoring, such as the
RB-47,
RB-57,
Boeing RC-135 and the
Ryan Model 147 drones. Soviet planes include the
Myasishchev M-55. Since the Cold War much of the strategic reconnaissance aircraft role has passed over to
satellites, and the tactical role to
unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). This has been proven in successful uses by the
United States in
Desert Storm operations. ==See also==