This is a list of aircraft used by the United States Air Force and its predecessor organizations for combat aerial reconnaissance and aerial mapping.
The first aircraft acquired by the Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps were not fighters or bombers, they were reconnaissance aircraft. From the first days of World War I, the airplane demonstrated its ability to be the "eyes of the army." Technology has improved greatly over the almost century since the first reconnaissance aircraft used during World War I. Today reconnaissance aircraft incorporate stealth technology; the newest models are piloted remotely. The mission of reconnaissance pilots remains the same, however.
The United States became a leader in development of aircraft specifically designed for the reconnaissance role; examples include the Lockheed SR-71, Lockheed U-2, Republic XF-12, and Hughes XF-11 (the latter two did not enter production). Most other nations that have developed reconnaissance aircraft generally used modified versions of standard bomber, fighter, and other types. The United States has, of course also operated reconnaissance variants of aircraft initially designed for other purposes, as the list below demonstrates.
Initially flown with a pilot and an observer, the observer would often sketch the scene of the ground below. Soon, some English observers thought it would be easier and more accurate to use their cameras to photograph the enemy lines. Unfortunately, both sides knew that if they were receiving valuable information from their pilots, the other side must be doing the same, and aircraft became armed to shoot down the other's. After the war, England estimated that its flyers took one-half million photographs during the four years of the war, and Germany calculated that if you laid all its aerial photographs side by side, they would cover an area six times the size of Germany.
The United States did not produce any aircraft of its own design for use in combat during World War I; however, several British and French designs were used by Air Service Aero Squadrons for reconnaissance missions.
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Was the primary long-range USAAF photographic reconnaissance fighter aircraft prior to introduction of the P-51. Used extensively in all major theaters of operations. F-4 and early F-5 Lightning photo reconnaissance variants were factory converted by Lockheed at Burbank, California; all later F-5 conversions were made after delivery by Lockheed's Dallas Modification Center near Dallas, Texas.
Lockheed Burbank converted 440 total F-4/F-5s before Dallas continued conversion work to complete at least 828 aircraft, but grand total of P-38J/L-based photo reconnaissance Lightnings probably ran to over 1,000. Dallas conversions include F-5C-1 (approximately 123), F-5E-2 (100), F-5E-3 (105), and an unknown number of F-5E-4s, F-5F-3s and F-5G-6s. [32] Several F-5G-6s that survived post-war disposal had their camera nose sections further modified by civilian aerial survey operators.
Note: Both the F-15 Eagle [49] and F-16 Falcon [50] had prototype RF-15 and RF-16s built but were never put into production.
Many developed in the 1920s and 1930s; a few saw combat during World War II. After the establishment of the USAF, light observation aircraft became an Army mission. O-2 Skymaster and OV-10 Broncos were Forward Air Control (FAC) aircraft of the Vietnam War, retired in the late 1970s, replaced by the OA-10A version of the A-10 Thunderbolt II.
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The Boeing B-47 Stratojet is a retired American long-range, six-engined, turbojet-powered strategic bomber designed to fly at high subsonic speed and at high altitude to avoid enemy interceptor aircraft. The primary mission of the B-47 was as a nuclear bomber capable of striking targets within the Soviet Union.
The McDonnell F-101 Voodoo is a supersonic jet fighter which served the United States Air Force (USAF) and the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).
The Korean War was significant in the fact that it was the first war in which the newly independent United States Air Force was involved.
The Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" is a strategic bomber built by Convair and operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1949 to 1959. The B-36 is the largest mass-produced piston-engined aircraft ever built. It had the longest wingspan of any combat aircraft ever built, at 230 ft (70 m). The B-36 was the first bomber capable of delivering any of the nuclear weapons in the U.S. arsenal from inside its four bomb bays without aircraft modifications. With a range of 10,000 mi (16,000 km) and a maximum payload of 87,200 lb (39,600 kg), the B-36 was capable of intercontinental flight without refuelling.
The North American B-45 Tornado was an early American jet-powered bomber designed and manufactured by aircraft company North American Aviation. It has the distinction of being the first operational jet bomber to enter service with the United States Air Force (USAF), as well as the first multiengine jet bomber to be refueled in midair.
The Martin B-57 Canberra is an American-built, twin-engined tactical bomber and reconnaissance aircraft that entered service with the United States Air Force (USAF) in 1953. The B-57 is a license-built version of the British English Electric Canberra, manufactured by the Glenn L. Martin Company. Initial Martin-built models were virtually identical to their British-built twinjet counterparts; Martin later modified the design to incorporate larger quantities of US-sourced components and produced the aircraft in several different variants.
The Douglas A-26 Invader is an American twin-engined light bomber and ground attack aircraft. Built by Douglas Aircraft Company during World War II, the Invader also saw service during several major Cold War conflicts. A limited number of highly modified United States Air Force aircraft served in Southeast Asia until 1969. It was a fast aircraft capable of carrying a large bomb load. A range of guns could be fitted to produce a formidable ground-attack aircraft.
The Boeing B-50 Superfortress is an American strategic bomber. A post–World War II revision of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, it was fitted with more powerful Pratt & Whitney R-4360 radial engines, stronger structure, a taller tail fin, and other improvements. It was the last piston-engined bomber built by Boeing for the United States Air Force, and was further refined into Boeing's final such design, the B-54. Though not as well known as its direct predecessor, the B-50 was in USAF service for nearly 20 years.
The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was an aircraft produced in many experimental and production models.
The 363rd Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group is a United States Air Force unit stationed at Joint Base Langley-Eustis. It is assigned to the 363rd Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing. It was activated in February 2015, after having been returned to regular service after operating as a provisional unit. The group has its origins in the 363rd Fighter Group, activated on 1 August 1943 at Hamilton Field, California. The unit was credited with 41 victories but lost 43 of its own aircraft during World War II.
Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base is a former German Air Force airfield near the town of Fürstenfeldbruck in Bavaria, near Munich, Germany.
The 26th Information Operations Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with United States Air Forces in Europe at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, where it was inactivated on 5 July 2006.
The 91st Cyberspace Operations Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit, currently assigned to the 67th Cyberspace Wing at Kelly Annex, part of Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.
The 16th Airborne Command and Control Squadron is a United States Air Force flying unit assigned to Air Combat Command's 461st Air Control Wing, 461st Operations Group, stationed at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. The squadron flies the Northrop Grumman E-8C JSTARS, providing airborne battle management, command and control, surveillance, and target acquisition.
The 38th Reconnaissance Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. It is a part of the 55th Wing at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. It operates the Boeing RC-135 aircraft conducting reconnaissance missions.
Aerial reconnaissance is reconnaissance for a military or strategic purpose that is conducted using reconnaissance aircraft. The role of reconnaissance can fulfil a variety of requirements including artillery spotting, the collection of imagery intelligence, and the observation of enemy maneuvers.
The 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was to the 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, West Germany. It was inactivated on 8 December 1957.
The Martin RB-57D Canberra was a specialized high-altitude strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed from the Martin B-57 Canberra tactical bomber, a licence-built version of the English Electric Canberra. It was used by the United States Air Force during the 1950s prior to operational use of the Lockheed U-2.
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.