Top 5 US Military Surveillance Aircraft That Made History

It may come as a surprise to many, but the origin of aircraft (or at least lighter-than-air aircraft) by the US military dates back to the Civil War of the 1860s – decades before the Wright Brothers became the first to “fly.” The Union Army established the Balloon Corps (which was quickly duplicated by the South). After heavier-than-air aircraft took to the skies, the Army quickly incorporated them into the military ( including the Wright Flyer in 1909).