Military uses of a hot balloon are more “create a small mountain to climb up” and less “satellite imagery before satellite”. They did not revolutionise warfare at the tactical or operational level, and even less at the strategical level.
Though ballistic weapons were more developed at the time hot air balloons were actually invented, presumably making it more dangerous / unfeasible to fly a balloon deep into enemy territory than if the balloon had been invented earlier
I’m pretty sure no ballistic weapon until well into the 20th century was a significant threat to a balloon flying at more than a few hundred meters above ground.
Military uses of a hot balloon are more “create a small mountain to climb up” and less “satellite imagery before satellite”. They did not revolutionise warfare at the tactical or operational level, and even less at the strategical level.
Though ballistic weapons were more developed at the time hot air balloons were actually invented, presumably making it more dangerous / unfeasible to fly a balloon deep into enemy territory than if the balloon had been invented earlier
I’m pretty sure no ballistic weapon until well into the 20th century was a significant threat to a balloon flying at more than a few hundred meters above ground.