Special Purpose Aircraft. Modern specialized aircraft are often seen as the most innovative and technologically advanced of all aircraft. However, this is ironic considering that the first archaic designs to clatter off the production line and inducted into war were in fact special mission aircraft. Specialized airplanes made their combat debut in the Great War, and were all completely designed around the observation role. Early Bleriot types, for example, would be sent to fly above Triple Alliance forces and identify the size and span of the enemy below, as well as the types of equipment in their possession. In fact, going back to the year 1794, the French became the first to ever field a specialized aircraft of any type, when the French Republican Army made use of balloons in the observation role. Special Purpose Aircraft. The balloons were equipped with a spyglass and could loiter for a long time above the battlefield; just as modern observation aircraft like the OV-10 Bronco gives its pilots radar and can support sustained, long-range flights above the battlefield. The term "Specialized Aircraft" is in fact a very broad definition, and can apply to any fighter built for a particular purpose. Although other aircraft such as interceptor fighters and troop transports, etc, are also considered specialized, they are present in much greater numbers and variety than other specialized aircraft and are therefore categories of their own. Today, the term "Specialized Aircraft" is used to describe less common, but completely unique aircraft that play a significant role on the battlefield. These aircraft include observation/FAC aircraft, without which an army wouldn't be able to quickly gauge the scope of a battle as OV-10 Broncos proved in the Gulf war, and ASW aircraft, such as the S-3 Viking that can be deployed in large numbers to sink any type of submarine known to man. Below is an overview of these aircraft, their roles, dominant characteristics, and the reasons they can prove invaluable for handling a variety of common/dire battlefield situations. Special Purpose Aircraft.
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