A liaison aircraft (also called an

army cooperation aircraft The army cooperation aircraft was an inter-war concept of an aircraft capable of support of ground units in a variety of roles. Army cooperation planes combined the roles of artillery spotter aircraft, liaison, reconnaissance plane and close air ...

) is a small, usually unarmed

aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or by using the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in ...

primarily used by military forces for artillery observation or transporting commanders and messages. The concept developed before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

and included also battlefield

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops ( skirmishe ...

air ambulance Air medical services is a comprehensive term covering the use of air transportation, aeroplane or helicopter, to move patients to and from healthcare facilities and accident scenes. Personnel provide comprehensive prehospital and emergency and cri ...

, column control, light cargo delivery and similar duties. Able to operate from small, unimproved fields under primitive conditions, with

STOL A short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft is a conventional fixed-wing aircraft that has short runway requirements for takeoff and landing. Many STOL-designed aircraft also feature various arrangements for use on airstrips with harsh condi ...

capabilities, most liaison aircraft were developed from, or were later used as

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

aircraft. Both fixed-wing aircraft and

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attribu ...

s can perform liaison duties.

Use by country

Bulgaria

* Kaproni Bulgarski KB-11 Fazan

Germany

Nazi period: * Fieseler Fi 156 ''Storch'' *

Messerschmitt Bf 108 The Messerschmitt Bf 108 ''Taifun'' (English: "Typhoon") was a German single-engine sport and touring aircraft, developed by Bayerische Flugzeugwerke in the 1930s. The Bf 108 was of all-metal construction. Design and development Originally desi ...

''Taifun'' * Focke-Wulf Fw 189 Uhu LR-1

Japan

Imperial period: * Kokusai Ki-76 (

Imperial Japanese Army Air Force The Imperial Japanese Army Air Service (IJAAS) or Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (IJAAF; ja, 大日本帝國陸軍航空部隊, Dainippon Teikoku Rikugun Kōkūbutai, lit=Greater Japan Empire Army Air Corps) was the aviation force of the Im ...

, 1942–1945) *

Tachikawa Ki-36 The Tachikawa Ki-36 (named ''Ida'' in Allied reporting code) was a Japanese army co-operation aircraft of World War II. It was a two-seat, low-wing monoplane with a single piston engine and fixed, tailwheel-type undercarriage. Design and de ...

(

, 1938–1945) Postwar period: * LR-1 (

Japan Ground Self-Defense Force The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force ( ja, 陸上自衛隊, Rikujō Jieitai), , also referred to as the Japanese Army, is the land warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Created on July 1, 1954, it is the largest of the three service b ...

, 1967–2016) * LC-90 ( Japan Maritime Self Defense Force, 1974–)

Poland

* Lublin R-XIII

Portugal

* Piper L-21 Super Cub ( Portuguese Army, 1952–1957 and

Portuguese Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = 1 July , equipment = , equipment_label ...

, 1957–1976) * Auster D.5/160 (Portuguese Air Force, 1961–1974) * Dornier Do 27 (Portuguese Air Force, 1961–1979) * Reims-Cessna FTB-337, (Portuguese Air Force, 1974–2007)

Soviet Union

* Polikarpov Po-2 Kukuruznik ("Crop Duster")

Sweden

Piper PA-18-150 Super Cub The Piper PA-18 Super Cub is a two-seat, single-engine monoplane. Introduced in 1949 by Piper Aircraft, it was developed from the PA-11 Cub Special, and traces its lineage back through the J-3 Cub to the Taylor E-2 Cub of the 1930s. In close ...

as ''Flygplan 51'', 1958–1974 * Dornier Do 27 as ''Flygplan 53'', 1962–1991 * Scottish Aviation Bulldog as ''Flygplan 61C'', 1972–1989

Switzerland

* Pilatus PC-6

United Kingdom

* de Havilland Dominie *

Westland Lysander The Westland Lysander is a British army co-operation and liaison aircraft produced by Westland Aircraft that was used immediately before and during the Second World War. After becoming obsolete in the army co-operation role, the aircraft' ...

* Taylorcraft Auster AOP

United States

* Vultee L-1 ''Vigilant'' * Taylorcraft L-2 ''Grasshopper'' * Waco S Series '' Waco C-72 or AAF UC-72 series'' *

Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing The Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing is an American biplane with an atypical negative wing stagger (the lower wing is farther forward than the upper wing). It first flew in 1932. Development At the height of the Great Depression, aircraft ...

''AAF Beech UC/YC-43 Traveler (Navy GB-1/2)'' * Aeronca L-3 ''Grasshopper'' * Piper L-4 ''Grasshopper'' *

Stinson L-5 The Stinson L-5 Sentinel is a World War II-era liaison aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces, U.S. Army Ground Forces, U.S. Marine Corps and the British Royal Air Force. It was produced by the Stinson Division of the Vultee Air ...

''Sentinel'' * Interstate L-6 ''Cadet'' *

North American North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the ...

Ryan Ryan may refer to: People and fictional characters *Ryan (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Ryan (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) Places Australia * Division of Ryan, an elect ...

'' L-17 Navion'' * Cessna O-1 Bird Dog

References

External links

www.als-cannonfield.com
– The Alamo Liaison Squadron is a group dedicated to restoring and flying liaison aircraft.
Lbirds.com
– Website with resources, information, and models of US WWII liaison aircraft
Lbirds
– Forum open to discussion about liaison aircraft Aircraft by type {{aviation-stub