Prior to the the XF-11 and the XF-12, aircraft that had been designed for other missions were modified to perform as photo reconnaissance planes – and the results were always a compromise. During World War II, the F-4 and F-5 (modifications of the well-known Lockheed P-38 Lightning) were used to perform most of these missions.
After flying a tour in Africa in F-5s, Col. Elliot Roosevelt, son of the late president, believed that aircraft must be designed around their specific mission requirements. He outlined Army Air Force requirements and presented his ideas to the commanders at Wright Field (now Wright-Patterson Air Force Base). There he found advocates who were already trying to obtain funding to build a true photographic aircraft.Roosevelt’s recommendations led to the development of the XF-11 (later XR-11) and its competitor, the XF-12 (later XR-12) aircraft.
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