Day 3 of a combat search and rescue (CSAR) mission in a contested environment within the USINDOPACOM theater of operation a team of SERE Specialist and Pararescue (PJ) are advising the Commander on all options to locate and rescue a downed F-35 fighter pilot. The search area has been narrowed down to a 45 by 45-mile search grid with air and space-based assets overhead. At this time, batteries have been exhausted in the radio and overt signals have been removed due to the nature of the operating environment. Survival comes down to training and covert signaling. Currently, HAF/A3S is conducting a complete review and update of what both the Personnel Recovery (PR) process and an isolated person (IP) look like in a future conflict (2040 and beyond) in terms called Rescue Vision 2040 and IP Survivability, respectively. One of the major initiatives being undertaken is the ability to equip an IP with updated equipment as they look to signal breathing- and non-breathing assets while isolated deep in enemy territory. One issue that has been discovered is that to accomplish this it has become apparent that operators must be equipped with technology that takes advantage of parts of the electromagnetic spectrum outside of the human visual range, specifically infrared (IR).
