A smart hook apparatus, comprising: a housing having a cable end for attachment to a rescue cable, and a hook end for attachment to rescue equipment, the housing further including an outer surface; and a ring coaxially protruding from the outer surface of the housing and located between the cable end and the hook end, wherein the ring has an upper surface facing the cable end, and a lower surface facing the hook end; characterized in that the smart hook apparatus further comprises: a first plurality of lights mounted on the upper surface of the ring configured to illuminate light upward and generally toward a helicopter when the hook end is lowered from a helicopter; a second plurality of lights mounted on the lower surface of the ring configured to illuminate light downward and generally in a direction away from a helicopter when the hook end is lowered from a helicopter; a control system located in the housing configured to measure, store, and transmit at least one of the following parameters: (a) a load between the hook end and the cable end; (b) an altitude of the assembly above the ground or water; (c) the position and/or relative motion of the hook in coordinate space; wherein the control system is further configured to modify at least one of the following: an illumination pattern, flash frequency, and color emitted from the plurality of lights based on the measured load between the hook end and the cable end and/or the measured altitude of the housing relative to the ground. a housing having a cable end for attachment to a rescue cable, and a hook end for attachment to rescue equipment, the housing further including an outer surface; and a ring coaxially protruding from the outer surface of the housing and located between the cable end and the hook end, wherein the ring has an upper surface facing the cable end, and a lower surface facing the hook end; characterized in that the smart hook apparatus further comprises: a first plurality of lights mounted on the upper surface of the ring configured to illuminate light upward and generally toward a helicopter when the hook end is lowered from a helicopter; a second plurality of lights mounted on the lower surface of the ring configured to illuminate light downward and generally in a direction away from a helicopter when the hook end is lowered from a helicopter; a control system located in the housing configured to measure, store, and transmit at least one of the following parameters: (a) a load between the hook end and the cable end; (b) an altitude of the assembly above the ground or water; (c) the position and/or relative motion of the hook in coordinate space; wherein the control system is further configured to modify at least one of the following: an illumination pattern, flash frequency, and color emitted from the plurality of lights based on the measured load between the hook end and the cable end and/or the measured altitude of the housing relative to the ground. a first plurality of lights mounted on the upper surface of the ring configured to illuminate light upward and generally toward a helicopter when the hook end is lowered from a helicopter; a second plurality of lights mounted on the lower surface of the ring configured to illuminate light downward and generally in a direction away from a helicopter when the hook end is lowered from a helicopter; a control system located in the housing configured to measure, store, and transmit at least one of the following parameters: (a) a load between the hook end and the cable end; (b) an altitude of the assembly above the ground or water; (c) the position and/or relative motion of the hook in coordinate space; (a) a load between the hook end and the cable end; (b) an altitude of the assembly above the ground or water; (c) the position and/or relative motion of the hook in coordinate space; wherein the control system is further configured to modify at least one of the following: an illumination pattern, flash frequency, and color emitted from the plurality of lights based on the measured load between the hook end and the cable end and/or the measured altitude of the housing relative to the ground.