List of United States Air Force reconnaissance aircraft
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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 but 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.