Automatic night search and rescue system

Claim 1

An automatic search and rescue system for application during both daylight and dark periods, wherein personnel, such as a downed aircraft pilot, are located from the air for immediate or subsequent pick up and rescue, comprising: a sea dye marker visible to the human eye during daylight and cable of fluorescing when illuminated by an appropriate source, deployed by said personnel in the area of his position; a helicopter piloted by a human operator in a search pattern, wherein at least one person aboard said helicopter can visually scan the surface of the earth for detection of said marker; a gas laser supported by said helicopter and operated to perform a preselected scan pattern over said surface during said dark periods, providing a beam having a wavelength shorter than the fluorescent wavelength of the marker, such that said marker fluoresces and is detectable during said dark periods when illuminated by said beam; and electronic detecting means sensitive to the wavelength of said flourescence resulting from said illumination, including means responsive to detection of the fluorescence for automatically alerting said at least one person; wherein said at least one person can identify said marker during both daylight and dark periods such that search and rescue operations can be extended into and throughout the night without loss of effectiveness.