Every U.S. Recon Aircraft Used in WWII | Complete List Explained

War demanded vision beyond the horizon. The United States answered with cameras, altitude, and range. This documentary catalogs every United States reconnaissance aircraft used during World War II, spanning Army, Navy, tactical, strategic, maritime, and experimental platforms.

From fragile observation biplanes to high-speed photo-reconnaissance fighters, long-range bombers, flying boats, and late-war prototypes, these aircraft reshaped how wars were planned and fought. Often unarmed and flying alone, reconnaissance crews mapped enemy defenses, tracked fleets, guided invasions, and laid the foundation of modern military intelligence.

This is the complete history of U.S. aerial reconnaissance in World War Two.

00:00 – Introduction: Vision beyond the horizon
00:30 – Early reconnaissance and observation aircraft

00:55 – Douglas O-2
01:05 – Curtiss O-1 Falcon
01:20 – Curtiss O-52 Owl
01:35 – Taylorcraft L-2
01:50 – Piper L-4 Grasshopper
02:05 – Stinson L-5 Sentinel

02:25 – Shift to speed and altitude
02:40 – North American F-6 Mustang overview
02:55 – F-6A early variants
03:10 – F-6B and F-6C improvements

03:30 – Lockheed Lightning reconnaissance aircraft
03:45 – F-4 Lightning variants
04:05 – Lockheed F-5 Lightning overview
04:20 – F-5A early operations
04:35 – F-5B and F-5C variants
04:50 – F-5E and F-5F late-war variants

05:10 – Bomber-based reconnaissance platforms
05:25 – Boeing F-9 Flying Fortress
05:40 – Boeing F-7 Liberator
05:55 – Consolidated PB4Y-1P

06:10 – Maritime reconnaissance expansion
06:25 – Consolidated PBY Catalina variants
06:45 – Martin PBM Mariner
07:05 – Martin PB2M Mars

07:20 – Tactical fighter reconnaissance
07:30 – Republic F-7 Thunderbolt

07:45 – Naval ship-launched reconnaissance
07:55 – Vought OS2U Kingfisher
08:05 – Curtiss SOC Seagull
08:15 – Curtiss SC Seahawk

08:30 – High-altitude and experimental reconnaissance
08:45 – Lockheed XF-12 Rainbow
08:55 – Douglas F3D Skyknight reconnaissance prototypes

09:10 – Night and transport reconnaissance
09:20 – Northrop P-61 Black Widow
09:30 – Douglas C-47 reconnaissance conversions
09:40 – Beechcraft F-2 Expeditor
09:50 – Strategic impact and conclusion

Aircraft Used in This Video

Douglas O-2

Curtiss O-1 Falcon

Curtiss O-52 Owl

Taylorcraft L-2

Piper L-4 Grasshopper

Stinson L-5 Sentinel

North American F-6 Mustang (F-6A, F-6B, F-6C)

Lockheed F-4 Lightning

Lockheed F-5 Lightning (F-5A, F-5B, F-5C, F-5E, F-5F)

Boeing F-9 Flying Fortress

Boeing F-7 Liberator

Consolidated PB4Y-1P

Consolidated PBY Catalina

Martin PBM Mariner

Martin PB2M Mars

Republic F-7 Thunderbolt

Vought OS2U Kingfisher

Curtiss SOC Seagull

Curtiss SC Seahawk

Lockheed XF-12 Rainbow

Douglas F3D Skyknight (reconnaissance prototypes)

Northrop P-61 Black Widow

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (reconnaissance conversions)

Beechcraft F-2 Expeditor