Bushliner Defense

1850|SMC

Special Mission Configuration

JP-8 utility aircraft for distributed operations.

New-production utility platform for distributed operations. JP-8 / Jet-A compatibility, 1,000 lb over 1,000 nm, 2,000 lb useful load, long endurance, and low recurring operating cost support sustained fleet readiness in austere environments.

Platform status |
Contact defense > View powerplant >
01 // FUEL

JP-8 / Jet-A

Diesel-cycle piston powerplant aligned with globally available fuel.

02 // MISSION LOAD

1,000 lb // 1,000 nm

Useful mission payload over long-range utility distance.

03 // ENDURANCE

>8 hr with reserve

Long station time for ISR, relay, logistics, and patrol missions.

04 // FUEL BURN

Approx. 15 gph

Efficient cruise burn lowers the recurring cost of persistence.

05 // DIRECT COST

Approx. $150 / hr

Direct operating cost designed for sustained sortie generation.

06 // CAPACITY

140 gal // 530 L

Fuel capacity sized for endurance while preserving payload utility.

07 // TBO

3,000 hr

Powerplant interval supports high-utilization fleet operations.

08 // UTILIZATION

No cycle-life limit

DeltaHawk powerplant baseline for sustained high-cycle operations.

OPTIONAL-PILOT AND AUTONOMY INTEGRATION ARE IN DEVELOPMENT. MISSION-KIT AVAILABILITY VARIES BY CONFIGURATION.

OPERATIONAL HERITAGE // U-17 UTILITY-AIRCRAFT LINEAGE ARCHIVAL RECORD
KNOWN MISSIONS Access Liaison Observation Training Light logistics Austere operations Forward presence KNOWN MISSIONS Access Liaison Observation Training Light logistics Austere operations Forward presence

Proven missions // worldwide service

Proven
worldwide.

The U-17 established the fixed-wing utility mission across austere operating environments. Based on the Cessna 185 platform, the aircraft served military operators around the world in access, liaison, observation, training, and light-logistics roles.

Bushliner carries the utility mission forward. The Bushliner 1850 SMC is a standardized new-production utility aircraft with a planned JP-8 / Jet-A-fueled compression-ignition piston powerplant. The same mission logic carries forward for distributed operations, austere access, and modern integration.
New production JP-8 + Jet-A Compression-ignition piston Distributed operations
Contact defense → View powerplant →
ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE // SOUTH VIETNAMESE AIR FORCE U-17 // NHA TRANG // 1968 OPEN SOURCE VIDEO ↗

Pacific Rim // Distributed access

Pacific access, extended.

Long-distance island-hopping from Hawaii to Australia, then north through Guam, Japan, and the Aleutians. Each displayed leg remains within the maximum-range envelope.

Route planning // loading leg data

HONOLULU -> JOHNSTON ATOLL // 717 NM

Next leg loading // JOHNSTON ATOLL -> MAJURO

Contact defense ->
1,000 NM / 1,852 KM mission basis 1,400 NM / 2,593 KM max range 1,700 NM / 3,148 KM extended // aux tanks Leg time aloft calculated @ 150 KT

(c) OpenStreetMap contributors // (c) CARTO

Bushliner 1850 SMC is a standardized, new-production utility platform for distributed and austere operations. This Pacific Rim module starts in Hawaii, stages southwest through island nodes to Australia, then turns north through Guam, Japan, and the Aleutians before returning to Hawaii. The aircraft remains visible, begins each leg where it landed, and returns to its origin. The operating envelope shown here defines a 1,000 LB / 454 KG payload over a 1,000 NM / 1,852 KM mission basis, a 1,400 NM / 2,593 KM maximum range, and a 1,700 NM / 3,148 KM extended-range configuration with auxiliary tanks.

JP-8Primary fuel alignmentJet-A compatible diesel-cycle architecture
2,000 LB / 907 KGUseful loadTotal useful load
1,000 LB / 454 KGPayloadOver 1,000 NM / 1,852 KM
1,400 NM / 2,593 KMMax rangePrimary range definition
1,700 NM / 3,148 KMExtended rangeWith auxiliary tanks
15 GPH / 57 LPHFuel burnApproximate
$150 / HRDirect operating costApproximate

Range visualization only. Preferred planning legs remain near 1,000 NM / 1,852 KM where practical. Every displayed leg remains within the 1,400 NM / 2,593 KM maximum-range envelope. Mission-specific routing, operating limitations, and configuration decisions remain subject to operational planning. Time aloft for each displayed leg is calculated using a 150 KT planning basis. Optional-pilot and autonomy integration remain in development. DeltaHawk public powerplant framing: no cycle-life limit.

Platform // Public release configuration viewer

JP-8 utility platform.

One standardized utility airframe. 2,000 lb useful load. 1,000+ nm planning range. JP-8 / Jet-A alignment. Configurable mission layers.

1850 SMC // UNIFIED PLATFORM VIEWER // PUBLIC RELEASEBUSHLINER LOADING...

BUSHLINER LOADING...

Common baseline // rotate and zoom when model is online

Length26 FT
Wingspan38 FT 5 IN
Tail span13 FT

PUBLIC RELEASE // FINAL CAPABILITY DEPENDS ON APPROVED CONFIGURATION

BUSHLINER DEFENSE // SERVICE SERVICE ROUTING ACTIVE

Planned currentness // not obsolescence

SERVICE

Remote triage. Critical spares staged before work begins. Trained local execution with factory escalation when required. Bushliner support is built to reduce preventable downtime and keep useful aircraft working.

VIEW SERVICE STACK → AOG SUPPORT → MECHANIC TRAINING →
SERVICE FLOW SHOWN FOR ILLUSTRATION // AVAILABILITY VARIES BY LOCATION CONTACT SERVICE →

BUSHLINER DEFENSE // PROPOSED INTEGRATION PATHWAY

SYSTEMS BRIEF ACTIVE

NEMESYS LINK CPC // COMMON OPERATOR LAYER

Common airframe.
Configurable mission stack.

The Bushliner 1850 SMC is structured around a common-airframe, mission-kit approach. NEMESYS LINK CPC provides a proposed pathway for connecting approved payloads, telemetry, status, and mission-data workflows through one operator layer.

LINK CPC // PATHWAY PREVIEW TYPING
Common payload control VIDEO // OPERATOR LAYER
LINK CPC // REFERENCE VIDEO
Baseline Common airframe
Payload layer Approved modules
Control layer Shared workflow

Proposed integration pathway shown for planning purposes. Final implementation remains subject to engineering validation, program agreements, and public-use permissions.

EXPLORE CORE TECHNOLOGIES →

BUSHLINER DEFENSE // MISSION SYSTEMS

CONFIDENTIAL INTEGRATION PATHWAY

MISSION SYSTEMS // DRONE DEPLOYMENT & COUNTER-DRONE

Deploy.
Detect. Respond.

Bushliner 1850 SMC can serve as a mobile airborne node for distributed drone deployment, payload support, and counter-UAS mission equipment closer to the operating environment.

INTEGRATION STREAM // |
01 // DRONE DEPLOYMENT

Deploy from the air.

Use the aircraft as a transport, launch, and support platform for distributed unmanned systems across remote and austere operating environments.

AIRBORNE DEPLOYMENT DISTRIBUTED OPERATIONS REMOTE ENVIRONMENTS
02 // COUNTER-DRONE

Detect. Coordinate. Respond.

Carry counter-UAS mission equipment on a persistent, mobile fixed-wing platform for localized or regional operating coverage.

COUNTER-UAS MISSION KIT REGIONAL COVERAGE

CONFIDENTIAL DISCUSSION // DETAILED INTEGRATION AVAILABLE TO QUALIFIED PARTNERS. FINAL IMPLEMENTATION REMAINS SUBJECT TO ENGINEERING VALIDATION.

CONTACT DEFENSE →

Operational Heritage // Distributed Utility Aircraft

Utility aircraft, worldwide.

This class of aircraft remains essential wherever access, payload, and short-field utility matter. The Bushliner 1850 is intended as a direct upgrade path: a standardized, new-production aircraft for the missions still flown across this worldwide category.

GLOBAL SERVICE RECORD // U-17 + 180 / 182 / 185 / 206 utility-aircraft family Documented lineage map // known quantified floor only
SERVICE STREAM // |
Quantified utility-family service aircraft // conservative floor 950+
Civil Air Patrol // current fleet 544 aircraft
MAF-US // 2024 snapshot 16,477 flights
MAF-US // 2024 cargo moved 4.33M lb
Military + government lineage U.S. public-service proof Humanitarian + mission aviation
Routes are stylized // not exact ferry routes
OPERATING PROOF // quantified airframes + current mission evidence Historical snapshots labeled // unquantified fleets excluded from 950+
544 AC
Civil Air Patrol Current official fleet. U.S. Air Force auxiliary. Nationwide emergency-services and community-response capacity.
327 + 36
CAP C182 / C206 snapshot Official 2017 model breakdown: 327 Cessna 182 aircraft and 36 Cessna 206 aircraft.
12 × C206
MAF-US humanitarian fleet 2024 snapshot. MAF-US lists twelve Cessna 206 aircraft in service across its relief and remote-access mission.
46,096 PAX
MAF-US operating output 2024 snapshot: 16,477 flights, 46,096 passengers, 4,326,684 lb of cargo, and 285 organizations served.
1,400 LB
JAARS Cessna 206 JAARS describes the C206 as a five-seat, long-range aircraft with a 1,400 lb payload for remote mission aviation.
7 + BASE
JAARS mission footprint North Carolina base plus listed field regions: Peru, Brazil, Cameroon, Gabon, East Africa, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.
12 × C185
California Highway Patrol Historical fixed-wing patrol fleet. Enforcement, surveillance, infrastructure monitoring, and communications relay.
6 × C185
Alaska State Troopers / DPS Statewide patrol vehicles for law enforcement, wildlife enforcement, transport, search and rescue, and remote access.
C185 LISTED
USDA Forest Service Resource management, surveys, law enforcement, fire detection, personnel movement, and cargo transport.
C185F LISTED
USFWS Alaska Field operations, surveys, tracking, law-enforcement surveillance, fire reconnaissance, and remote logistics.
45 × C185
South African Air Force Documented 185A / 185D / 185E fleet. Reconnaissance, liaison, utility, and forward-area support lineage.
497 U-17
USAF MAP program Military Assistance Program U-17A / B / C procurement created the global military footprint.
COUNTRY LEDGER // DOCUMENTED WORLDWIDE LINEAGE

Bushliner 1850 is intended as a direct upgrade path for the distributed utility-aircraft mission class; it is not represented as a drop-in replacement for every historical configuration. Conservative public-record floor: 950+ is deliberately rounded down from 952 quantified aircraft. The count excludes unquantified fleets and avoids transfer-sensitive double counts. CAP's 544-aircraft figure is current total fleet; the model breakdown is a labeled historical snapshot.