Originally Posted by
Lonewolf_50
FWIW, maritime / carrier wise:
The F8 Crusader became the RF-8 (slick) unarmed recce bird in the USN. (VFP-63 is the last squadron I recall having it)
The RF-4 IIRC (memory hazy) had a photo capability.
F-14 Tomcat in its later years had something similar. (TARPS was but one add on, but then, so was ground attack!
)
All of the above are/were USN aircraft.
More recently, there is some interesting imagery that current fighter aircraft can provide to the ISR team using their targeting pods. The F-16's did some very nice "non Traditional ISR" over Iraq during OIF. (But I am going back nearly two decades in recalling that).
Other 'pods' attached to an aircraft would, I expect, blur the distinction you seem to be referring to as the years have gone by.
I remeber having the mick taken out of me when at AAFCE I suggested to a USAF Major who had flown F-100s in Vietnam and F-4s in the QRA role in Alaska, that Zweibrucken's 26th TRW had scrambled. He made some joke about the crew ernestly clicking away at the intruder.
FB