Recon Aircrafts have been around since WW1 with the sole purpose of photographing enemy terrain to be used by generals in making tactical decisions on the battlefield. I will briefly go through 3 of my favourite Recon Aircrafts...Enjoy!!
Lockheed U-2 (Dragon Lady)
In the early 1950s, with Cold War tensions heating up, the US military needed improved strategic reconnaissance to determine Soviet capabilities and intentions. The existing surveillance aircraft were primarily converted bombers, but they were vulnerable to anti-aircraft artillery, missiles, and fighters. It was thought that a plane capable of flying at 70,000 feet would not only be beyond the reach of Soviet fighters and missiles, but would also be outside the range of radar detection. This ability would allow the very risky process of "overflights"; knowingly violating a country's airspace in order to photograph a particular location.
Notice the large wingspan? This enabled this bugger to glide effortlessly on minimum fuel. Enabling the aircraft to complete recon missions high above Soviet USSR. This aircraft too was responsible for spotting the Soviet missiles in Cuba, sparking the famed Cuban Missile Crisis (the pinnacle of the Cold War). The great altitude of the plane renders it almost impossible to be shot down. One however was, over Soviet territory. The pilot (Gary Powers) escaped, but this was a major embarassment to the US (getting caught spying is always an embarassment).
The simplicity of this plane and the low operational costs are the fundamental reasons its still in use today.
Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird
The first attempt at stealth technology. In reality however, the aircraft had the stealthiness of a flying barn door. It is a fragile aircraft, the exterior skin prone to damage should anyone walk on it and very expensive to run hence its service being discontinued. Only 32 planes were ever manufactured.
The main feature of this aircraft is not the stealth tech, its the massive Pratt and Whitney J75 hybrid engines. The engine are primarily turbo jet engines, but with an additional ability that gives them the title of 'Hybrid'. They have the ability to switch into ramjet engines at extreme speeds.
A turbo jet engine is one that draws air into the engines and compresses it before ignition with the aid of a compressor (the fins you see in most aircrafts). A ramjet does away with the compressor altogether. The air is compressed in the engines using the sheer force of the air moving into the intakes, driven by the forward velocity of the aircraft.
The air gets compressed beyond the cones and ignited. This can only be done at high speeds. Now, as the Ramjet engine has less moving parts than a turbojet version, its more fuel efficient of course...albeit at higher speeds. The engines powering the SR-71 are a hybrid in the sense that its a turbojet engine within a ramjet. The concept is simple. Look at the basic drawing of a ramjet engine above. Now picture it with turbines around the cone. The cone can move too. At speeds of Mach 3, the cones withdraw into the engine, causing air passing through the engines to create a shockwave at speed Mach 1 within the engine that compresses the air needed for ignition. The beauty of this system is, it makes the aircraft more fuel efficient the faster it goes, enabling it to complete missions above Moscow with no fuel problems.
I love this plane for one simple fact. Its bloody fast, with a cruising speed of Mach 3. In fact, upon fired on by missiles, the standard procedure is to simply accelerate and you can actually outrun a radar guided SAM (surface to air missile). It too is the first plane to have the ability to fly an entire mission on afterburners (the engines reburn the oxygen rich emission) which give it its incredible speed. No aircraft has this ability except the lastest Lockheed F-22 Raptor....and we're talking about Cold War technology here.
Airborne Warning And Control System (AWACS)
Doesn't look much does it? Its just a modified Boeing 767 and is totally vulnerable to attack were it not for the constant escort of F-16 Falcons or F-15E Eagles with it at all times. This baby impresses me though for its sheer usefulness.
Imagine a surveillance system, capable tracking a a single individual through any terrain (jungles, cities) , in any weather (fog, rainstorm) with pinpoint accuracy. This is the AWACS. The flying battleground HQ in the skies. Sure, looks ugly in comparison to the Lockheeds above, but for versatility, this is the best recon aircraft you could ever want. Its not exactly cheap (most of the cost goes towards the radar and computer systems onboard).
Lets not get the concept wrong here. We're talking about a system here, not the aircraft. The AWACS system can be mounted on virtually any large airplane..the most popular being the Boeing 767. Other aircrafts in use are the E-2 Hawkeye (US Navy)..Gulfstream G550 (Israel)
and old Boeing models (pakistani and Saudi Arabian airforces)
The radar on this is a beauty. Capable of detecting aerial threats from up to 400km away. This is useful in offensive roles, the radar being used as cover for fighter pilots. This means, the radar travels with the fighters and aircraft carriers, giving them an ultra large radar radius, enabling detection of aerial threats before the threats are even aware of the fighters (the fighter radar range is waaay below 400km).
Cheers!
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