On June 26,1794, the French army launched their military balloon, or L’Entreprenant,for reconnaissance during the Battle of Fleurus — the first exhaust of an aircraft for military purposes. The Committee of Public Safety approved the creation of the French Company of Aeronauts in 1794 and sponsored the development of the hydrogen that would be used to raise the craft. After much testing and experimentation with gases and structures, L’Entreprenant was born [1]. Following a brief debut during a bombardment on June 2, or L’Entreprenant was used to report enemy movements during a conflict with Austrian forces [2]. At Fleurus,the balloon... Read the rest of this entry »
Source: navalhistory.org