Military reconnaissance is an operation to obtain information relating to the activities, resources, or military forces of a foreign nation or armed group. It uses balloons, aviation, and space technology and has played an important role in our history.
The technologies used to carry out military reconnaissance are varied. From balloon reconnaissance, which the United States military first used in the 1800s during the Civil War, to modern unpiloted aircraft such as the Predator drone, used heavily during conflicts in the Middle East in the late 1900s and early 2000s. On this page, we explore three technologies used for military reconnaissance: balloons, aircraft, and satellites.
Balloon Reconnaissance
It is sometimes hard to believe just how much you can learn from some old pieces of paper. While searching in the Archives of the National Air and Space Museum, curator Thomas Paone came across an odd-looking map from the American Civil War. The map features a label in the corner stating that it was drawn by Colonel William Small while onboard “Prof. Lowe’s balloon,” and is dated December 1861.
Who was Colonel Small and how did he find himself drawing a map from a balloon? Why was the map needed in the first place?
On June 18, 1861, T.S.C. Lowe ascended (albeit tethered to the ground) from the area in front of the present site of the National Air and Space Museum. He attracted the support of President Lincoln and led to the creation of a balloon corps for the Union Army, the oldest military aeronautical unit in American history. In this video, a distinguished panel of scholars discuss the events leading up to this historic flight, ballooning during the Civil War, and the birth of aerial reconnaissance in America.
Aircraft Reconnaissance
The first major conflict in which photography taken from aircraft was used for military intelligence was World War I. Since then, special cameras, aircraft, and signals technology have been developed to better our military's reconnaissance capabilities. Reconnaissance photography and signals intelligence taken from aircraft and satellites have become an integral tools for the military.
Aerial photography was combined with code-breaking, spying, French resistance reports, and other intelligence sources to enable the successful execution of a massive invasion two years in the making. D-Day was the boldest, riskiest and most anticipated operation of the entire World War II European Theater. The Museum's Archives contains a small but intriguing batch of aerial photographs taken in the days and hours before, during, and after the D-Day invasion.
Military Reconnaissance and the Cuban Missile Crisis
Military Reconnaissance and the Cuban Missile Crisis
The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird: A Powerhouse in Military Reconnaissance
The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird: A Powerhouse in Military Reconnaissance
As an aerospace milestone, the Predator marked several significant transformations underway at the beginning of the 2000s. The Predator can provide near real-time reconnaissance using a satellite data link system and perform attack missions as well. The Museum's Predator was one of the first three UAVs to fly operational missions over Afghanistan after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Satellite Reconnaissance
Development of photoreconnaissance satellites began in the mid-1950s, primarily to target the Soviet Union. They were much less provocative than aircraft overflights and photographed a far larger area.
A highly classified joint Air Force-CIA project, codenamed CORONA, developed the first-generation satellites. Officials assigned the cover name of Discoverer to the program, stating that it was a scientific satellite program. From its first successful mission in August 1960 to May 1972, more than 100 successful CORONA missions acquired critical photography. Among other things, it enabled U.S. officials to learn the numbers and locations of Soviet nuclear-armed missiles and bombers.
Two other photoreconnaissance satellite systems that performed the same missions have also been declassified – GAMBIT (1963-1984) and HEXAGON (1971-1984). All the many other systems remain completely classified.
In early 1958, a few months after the Soviets launched the first Sputnik satellite, President Eisenhower authorized a top-priority reconnaissance satellite project jointly managed by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the U.S. Air Force. The project's goal was to launch into orbit a camera-carrying spacecraft that would take photographs of the Soviet Union and return the film to Earth.
The secret spy satellite was dubbed Corona by the CIA. To disguise its true purpose, it was given the cover name Discoverer and described as a scientific research program. From 1960 to 1972, more than 100 Corona missions took over 800,000 photographs. As cameras and imaging techniques improved, Corona and other high-resolution reconnaissance satellites provided increasingly detailed information to U.S. intelligence analysts.
In this video, listen to curator James David talk about the Corona spy satellite.
The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) launched the first GAMBIT-1 high-resolution photoreconnaissance satellite on July 12, 1963. It enabled the United States intelligence community photo analysts to see more detailed images.
Want to keep learning about military reconnaissance? Check out these resources too!
Want to keep learning about military reconnaissance? Check out these resources too!
National Air and Space Museum
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