recce (thing)

It must be noted that recce (a term generally explained well above) is not a role restricted to flying vehicles. There are numerous armoured and non-armoured land vehicles that serve this crucial battlefield role. Examples include the Canadian Stuart V (M3A3) and Stuart VI (M5A1). Actually, the versatility of those particular vehicles reinforces the numerous roles that can be plaid by recce capable components of a tank column or battle group. They can be used to carry ammunition, wounded soldiers, and troops (though that role is better left to the more capable armoured personnel carriers like the Bradley Fighting Vehicle. Armoured reconnaissance vehicles played a vital role before the advent of modern aerial surveillance in terms of maintaining battlefield awareness on the part of the commander. While their role has been largely superceded now, the versatility of a recce type armoured vehicle is not something that should be entirely abandoned in favour of the raw firepower of a main battle tank like the M1A2 Abrams.