reconnoitre

When he and a comrade went to reconnoitre an attack, Gaddafi’s forces spotted them.

The citation for temporary Lieutenant Robert Hastings read: "He personally reconnoitred the approach to the position under very severe rifle and machine-gun fire."

He was headed, generally, for Lake Superior, and would reconnoitre once he got to Lake Michigan.

They might be used to reconnoitre an area or attack it, permitting the manned aircraft to hold back.

The serious young man arrives first, on a reconnoitring mission.