A system and method are used to search for a thermal target from a moving aerial platform. The system includes a computer corrected to a wide field-of-view thermal imager, a narrow field-of-view thermal imager, a global navigation satellite system receiver, and an inertial navigation system. The wide field-of-view thermal imager acouires multiple images as the wide field-of-view thermal imager moves relative to a search area. Each point of each imaoe is correlated to a stationary position within the search area. The computer is configured to independently time-average the thermal signal amplitude emanating from each stationary sector in the search area imaged bv the wide field-of-view thermal imager. and direct the narrow field-of-view thermal imager to point to the stationary position of the sector of interest and display a thermal imaoe associated with the sector of interest to a user.