L'Intrépide ("The Intrepid") was a hydrogen balloon of the French Aerostatic Corps

French Aerostatic Corps

The French Aerostatic Corps or Company of Aeronauts was the world's first air force, founded in 1794 to use balloons, primarily for reconnaissance.-Experimentation:...

 and is the oldest preserved aircraft in Europe.

L'Intrépide was the larger of two observation balloons

Observation balloon

Observation balloons are balloons that are employed as aerial platforms for intelligence gathering and artillery spotting. Their use began during the French Revolutionary Wars, reaching their zenith during World War I, and they continue in limited use today....

, the other being Hercule ("Hercules"), issued to the Aerostatic Corps in June 1795. These balloons were used by the Corps's first company attached to General Jourdan's

Jean-Baptiste Jourdan

Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, 1st Comte Jourdan , enlisted as a private in the French royal army and rose to command armies during the French Revolutionary Wars. Emperor Napoleon I of France named him a Marshal of France in 1804 and he also fought in the Napoleonic Wars. After 1815, he became reconciled...

 Army of Sambre-et-Meuse

Army of Sambre-et-Meuse

The Army of Sambre-et-Meuse is the best known of the armies of the French Revolution. It was formed on 29 June 1794 by combining three forces: the Army of the Ardennes, the left wing of the Army of Moselle, and the right wing of the Army of the North. It had a brief but celebrated existence...

 in 1796. When that army was defeated by Austrian forces at the Battle of Würzburg

Battle of Würzburg

The Battle of Würzburg was fought on 3 September 1796 between an army of Habsburg Austria led by Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen and an army of the First French Republic led by Jean-Baptiste Jourdan. The French attacked the archduke's forces, but they were resisted until the arrival of...

 on 3 September 1796, the balloon was captured and brought to Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

, where it is now on display at the Heeresgeschichtliches Museum.

The balloon's silk hull is roughly spherical and has a diameter of 9.8 metres (32.2 ft). Its wooden gondola is very small, measuring 1.14 metres (44.9 in) by 0.75 metres (29.5 in) and its railing has a height of 1.05 metres (41.3 in). The hull displayed in the museum is a replica, with the original displayed in a glass box nearby.