Abstract: In order to meet the need of the remote rapid search for enemy snipers on the battlefield, the maximum detection distance model based on the theory of cat eye effect was improved. The MATLAB software was used to generate the curves related to laser power, CCD sensitivity, and maximum detection distance. An active laser detection system which was capable to identify the cat eye target in large field of view and long distance quickly was built. The experiment result shows that the prototype system can realize identifying snipers with active laser detection in the distance of 1 200 m. A feature recognition algorithm for images captured under complex background was put forward, which greatly improved the visibility of the captured images in the experiment. Automatic feature recognition based on the cat eye target was realized. The research is very important to enhance and improve the effectiveness of the laser active detection system on the battlefield.