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.

World War I aircraft

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.

World War II and later aircraft

Attack aircraft

Bomber aircraft

Fighter aircraft

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. 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 and F-16 Falcon had prototype RF-15 and RF-16s built but were never put into production.

Observation aircraft

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. Pre-1962 designations Post-1962 designations

Strategic reconnaissance aircraft

Transport aircraft

Unmanned aerial vehicles