For the last two years, the USDA Forest Service has been engaged in an R&D program to expand helicopter firefighting operations into the nighttime by use of current night vision technology. As a result, Land Managers are beginning to utilize some of the systems and devices for other tasks as well. These include law enforcement on National Forests, surveying techniques, nocturnal game studies, search and rescue, and reconnaissance duties. This paper describes the equipment in present use, training requirements, and typical operations.

Date Published: 27 July 1976
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 0078, Low Light Level Devices for Science and Technolgy, (27 July 1976); doi: 10.1117/12.954779

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 0078:
Low Light Level Devices for Science and Technolgy
Charles Freeman, Editor(s)