Book ID: CBB997279151

From Kites to Cold War: The Evolution of Manned Airborne Reconnaissance (2019)

unapi

From Kites to Cold War tells the story of the evolution of manned airborne reconnaissance. Long a desire of military commanders, the ability to see the terrain ahead and gain foreknowledge of enemy intent was realized when Chinese airmen mounted kites to surveil their surroundings. Kite technology was slow to spread, and by the late nineteenth century European nations had developed the balloon and airship to conduct this mission. By 1918, it was obvious that the airplane had become the reconnaissance platform of the future. Used successfully by many nations during the Great War, aircraft technology and capability experienced its most rapid evolutionary period during World War II. Entering the war with just basic airborne imagery capabilities, by V-E and V-J days, air power pioneers greatly improved imagery collection and developed sophisticated airborne signals intelligence collection capabilities. The United States and other nations put these capabilities to use as the Cold War immediately followed. Flying near the periphery of and sometimes directly over the Soviet Union, airborne reconnaissance provided the intelligence necessary to stay one step ahead of the Soviets throughout the Cold War.

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Reviewed By

Review Al Mongeon (2020) Review of "From Kites to Cold War: The Evolution of Manned Airborne Reconnaissance". Air Power History (pp. 53-53). unapi

Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB997279151/

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Authors & Contributors
Peter de Jong
Bishop, Rick
Mark Postlethwaite
Andreas Rupprecht
Jan Forsgren
Janusz Swiatlon
Journals
Air Power History
Science, Technology and Human Values
Kritika: Explorations in Russian and Eurasian History
History and Technology
Publishers
Quarto Publications
Göttingen Vandenhoeck et Ruprecht
Casemate
Fonthill Media
Peter Lang Publishing, Inc.
Crécy Publishing Limited
Concepts
Military technology
Aircraft; airplanes
Surveillance
Reconnaissance aircraft
Technology and politics
Photography, Aerial
People
Boyd, John Richard
Col. Thomas L. Thurlow
Time Periods
20th century
21st century
20th century, late
20th century, early
Places
United States
Great Britain
Syria
Midwestern states (U.S.)
Germany
China
Institutions
Luftwaffe (Germany)
United States Air Force (USAF)
U-2 Dragon Lady (Airplane)
Stasi [Ministerium für Staatssicherheit]
United States. Department of Defense
Kriegsmarine (Germany)
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