Balloon (aircraft) - Military Use

Military Use

Main article: History of military ballooning See also: Observation balloon

The first military use of a balloon was at the Battle of Fleurus in 1794, when L'Entreprenant was used by the French Aerostatic Corps to watch the movements of the enemy. On 2 April 1794, an aeronauts corps was created in the French army; however, given the logistical problems linked with the production of hydrogen on the battlefield (it required constructing ovens and pouring water on white-hot iron), the corps was disbanded in 1799.

Read more about this topic:  Balloon (aircraft)

Famous quotes containing the word military:

    We’re in greater danger today than we were the day after Pearl Harbor. Our military is absolutely incapable of defending this country.
    Ronald Reagan (b. 1911)

    His ugliness was the stuff of legend. In an age of affordable beauty, there was something heraldic about his lack of it. The antique arm whined as he reached for another mug. It was a Russian military prosthesis, a seven-function force-feedback manipulator, cased in grubby pink plastic.
    William Gibson (b. 1948)