Landing strobe, system and method for deploying the landing strobe

A landing strobe system, comprising:

• a landing strobe configured to be released from an aircraft arranged over a landing zone;
• wherein the landing strobe comprises:
• a) a vane configured to extend i) radially at an upward angle outward from a central axis of the landing strobe when released from the aircraft;
• and ii) at a downward angle outward from the landing strobe when descent of the landing strobe from the aircraft has ended, when an air resistance force is no longer applied to the vane, and when the landing strobe contacts ground at the landing zone;
• b) an optical emitter mounted at an upper surface of the landing strobe and configured to emit a radiation pattern that extends upward and radially around the central axis.

A method for designating a landing zone for an overhead aircraft, comprising:

• releasing a landing strobe from a deploying aircraft;
• during descent of the landing strobe from the deploying aircraft, extending at least three vanes radially outward from the landing strobe in upward angles away from a descent direction;
• after descent has ended, moving the at least three vanes in dissimilar downward angles outward from the landing strobe when an air resistance force is no longer applied to the at least three vanes and the landing strobe impacts ground at the landing zone;
• and
• radiating an optical signal upward along a central axis that extends through a center of the landing strobe and substantially perpendicular to a surface of the ground at the landing zone, and further radiating the optical signal toward a detector mounted on the overhead aircraft and detectable by the detector.