Abstract: A system for detecting at least one aircraft comprises at least one illuminator capable of providing at least one light from the group consisting of visible light and near infrared light; at least one camera capable of providing a daytime image of the aircraft, the video camera being capable of providing a nighttime image of the aircraft if the aircraft is illuminated by the illuminator; a mechanism for detecting when the at least one aircraft moves; a processor for identifying a tail number of the at least one aircraft based on alphanumeric data in at least one image from the group consisting of the nighttime image and the daytime image; and a storage medium that stores the tail number of the aircraft and the least one image when the detecting means detects movement of the aircraft.