System and method for generating an optimized search and rescue profile for an in-flight aircraft

A system for generating a flight profile for search and rescue (SAR) operations, comprising:

• an in-flight aircraft engaged in SAR operations with an onboard flight management system (FMS) that monitors the flight parameters of the in-flight aircraft;
• a satellite communications (SATCOM) transceiver located on board the in-flight aircraft that transmits the flight parameters to a ground-based FMS;
• a terrain database that provides real-time terrain data to the ground-based FMS;
• a real-time weather database that provides real-time weather data to the ground-based FMS;
• and
• where the ground-based FMS receives the flight parameters which are transmitted upon command by an aircrew member of the in-flight aircraft in order to request generation of a SAR flight profile for the onboard FMS which lacks a capability to generate a SAR flight profile, generates a SAR flight profile for the in-flight aircraft based on the flight parameters, the terrain data and the real-time weather data and transmits the SAR flight profile to the SATCOM transceiver on board the in-flight aircraft to be loaded FMS into the onboard FMS.