Imagine being able to travel go faster than Mach 2, twice the speed of sound (over 1200 miles per hour), you could go around the whole world in less than 20 hours with that type of speed. The technology and the weaponry the Air Force possesses are very sophisticated and advanced. The air force's main weapons consist of a series of different types of aircraft. .
Ever Since the infamous Wright brothers built and experienced the first "manned, powered, sustained, and controlled flight by a heavier-than-air vehicle", the world would never be the same, especially military wise (Hill 1). The airplane has been used in every major war since World War I. Controlling the skies is key when fighting a war because of having the ability to attack land units and navies with limited fear of being hit from surfaced units, if flown at high altitudes. The air plane's role in the air force can be divided up into different categories reconnaissance and surveillance, fighters, bombers, and transporters. .
Reconnaissance and surveillance are basically the same thing with few differences. Reconnaissance is used to monitor enemy units and "resources" but is done "sporadically" while surveillance does the same type of work but is done for periods of time (Vallance 139) (P1). There are two types of reconnaissance, strategic reconnaissance and tactical reconnaissance. Strategic is used to find out information related to the war or mission to gain an advantage. Tactical is executed for gaining "detailed information needed to plan and execute operations and campaigns"(Vallance 140) (DQ 1). Tactical reconnaissance is extremely important for assessing damage of previously attacked enemy units and determining if a follow up attack is necessary (Vallance 140) (S1). .
The operational functions of surveillance and reconnaissance aren't as similar as the strategic levels, it provides information on finding the enemy forces.