Aeroplane

When Wilbur and Orville Wright made their first flight with heavier than air machine on december 17, 1903, they shared an optimistic view of it's potential, saying "We believe that the aeroplane could play a major role in preventing war, because it would enable each side to know what the other was doing and and thus make it more difficult for either to gain an advantage". Their belief held true for about 10 years. Unarmed aircraft quickly became integral part of a contemporary warfare, but it's usefulness as a means of monitoring enemy activities led to development of a predator. An aircraft whose sole purpose was to destroy so the "fighter" was born. We have come a long way since Captain Coutelle used a balloon for aerial reconnaissance of enemy positions during
the battle of Fleurus in 1794. Nowadays a fighter can carry enough fire power to annihilate a city.