An aerially deployed illumination
system is provided which may be remotely operated or preprogrammed to illuminate a designated target, such as a
geographic area, vehicle, or personnel. In particular, a remotely controlled UAV having an illumination
system disposed thereon is provided, the illumination
system comprised of a concentrated
light source and light movement apparatus operable to rapidly scan the target with the
light source, thereby providing an illusion of a large area of illumination. Preferably, a line is created from the
light source, the line being rapidly moved over the target in specific patterns and at specific frequencies. The system may further include a plurality of UAV's capable of ad hoc networking, so as to illuminate both large areas, as well as stationary and moving targets. In addition, the UAV's having an illumination system disposed thereon may be disposed within a
projectile, the
projectile tube or gun launched, and the UAV ejected from the
projectile over a designated target, thereby enabling quick delivery of the UAV to an area of interest.