A British student who was injured after falling off a horse in a remote part of Russia was rescued yesterday after sending a distress signal which was picked up 3,700 miles away by an RAF base in Scotland.
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The beacon used GPS technology, which gives a very accurate position within five seconds of being activated, allowing RAF Kinloss to raise the alarm and tell Russian emergency services where to find the party of nine.
"They were able to pinpoint the location of the group right down to an area smaller than half a tennis court," said Michael Mulford, from RAF Kinloss, who added that it was "very unusual" for the base to respond to signals so far away.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/sep/06/russia?