Modern search and rescue techniques rely heavily on unmanned aerial vehicles, but these systems have two fundamental flaws in emergency situations: the visual cameras on these drones struggle during night operations, and the drones themselves are completely reliant on GPS systems to navigate. The solution to both of these problems is the VIPER payload – Visual and Infrared Position Estimation for Reconnaissance – a dual purpose module that provides infrared imaging and navigation capabilities for drones in GPS-denied environments. VIPER merges sensor readings with overlaid visual and infrared images from onboard cameras to determine the drone’s precise position and orientation regardless of the time of day. This low-cost, lightweight system can function on a wide range of FPV drones and operate for over half of an hour per charge. VIPER will give first responders a better tool for the job, so more lives can be saved.