aerial reconnaissance

…Cold War, material gathered from aerial reconnaissance produced detailed information on issues as varied as the Soviet grain crop and the development of Soviet ballistic missiles. Information obtained through those satellites was critical to the arms control process; indeed, agreements reached during the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) in the…

…as special personnel planes, for photoreconnaissance, and as artillery spotters. Because of their low landing speed (20 miles per hour [32 km per hour]) and high maneuverability, the Pipers easily eluded enemy fighters.

Aerial reconnaissance is an efficient way to gather large amounts of data, but aerial photos of dummy tanks, planes, guns, and trucks can deceive even trained analysts.

Today aerial reconnaissance is conducted by satellites, aircraft, and unmanned drones, which can orbit a battlefield for 24 hours. The U.S. U-2 aircraft and its higher-flying successors are capable of taking photographs that experts can read with great accuracy. Imaging satellites, which can produce accurate information…

…military staffs contemplating offensive operations, aerial photography became the most important source of detailed information on enemy dispositions. British reconnaissance aircraft were especially capable. Modified versions of the Spitfire and the Mosquito, stripped of armament and fitted with extra fuel tanks, proved essentially immune to interception at high altitudes. Stripped-down…

…were unarmed and employed for reconnaissance, serving basically as extensions of the eyes of the ground commander. Soon, however, the need to deny such reconnaissance to the enemy led to air-to-air combat in which each side tried to gain superiority in the air. Fighter planes were armed with fixed, forward-firing…

Aerial photography had already been pioneered by the French and used in the War of Italian Independence (1859).

Aerial reconnaissance has grown in importance; it now encompasses all phases of warning. Visual observation from the air furnishes short-term information and warning. Direct receiving and image-recording infrared equipment in night reconnaissance, high resolution radar in bad weather, and conventional photography all contribute…