The document proposes a concept called FINAB (Fighter-In-a-Box) to develop a series of small, maneuverable aircraft that can be rapidly deployed and co-located with ground forces without need for runways. Phase I involves developing the Killer BD-17 MiniCOIN aircraft based on the Cessna CH-801 SparrowHawk that can take-off and land in short distances and be transported by truck. It would carry sensors and light weapons to provide close air support and reconnaissance to maneuvering ground units. Later phases explore carrying the aircraft in shipping containers and launching from helicopters. The goal is to give ground units their own affordable air assets for continuous overhead surveillance and rapid response.

1. Fighter-In-a-Box for Maneuver Air Support

2. Table of Contents
The FINAB Concept
Phase I: Killer BD-17-In-a-Box (KBINAB)
Phase II: Killer Wasp-In-a-Box (KWINAB)
Phase III: KWINAB Zero Length Launch
Phase IV: KWINAB Helicopter Launch & Recovery

3. The FINAB Concept
1. Air Bases are a Fatal Liability
2. Maneuver Air Support must Move with Ground
maneuver units

4. Air Bases are a Fatal Liability
1. Aircraft cannot fly 24/7/365 so spend most of time
on ground
2. Aircraft on obvious air basses easy to spot, hit and
destroy by vertical attack of enemy aircraft, missiles,
rockets, bombs etc.
3. Aircraft on obvious air bases easy to destroy by
horizontal enemy ground attacks
4. Airbases with thousands of Americans cause
civilians to rebel against our presence
5. Air bases subsidize overly complicated, costly
aircraft creating “death spiral” of lesser and lesser
quantities to point of defacto disarmament

5. Maneuver Air Support must Move with Ground
maneuver units
1. Since aircraft can’t fly 24/7/365
if they are stuck at air base, as ground maneuver
units go forward aircraft must fly farther and farther
and have less time on station
2. Ground units must have overhead air observation
and attack 24/7/365: aircraft must be co-located
3. STOL aircraft do not need paved runways; simple
aircraft do not need air bases
4. Aircraft that can be carried in ISO shipping
containers can be moved by land, sea or air w/o
being flown. Ground mobility avoids bad weather
from keeping aircraft from moving w/maneuver units

6. To prepare for the fast-moving battlefield situations of WW2, the
German Army had WW1 Ace Fieseler design a small, light fixed-wing
airplane that could land without need of runways to co-locate itself
with their blitzkrieg tank forces (panzers). The Fi-156 “Storch” to this
day is a remarkable plane that can take off in under 150 feet and land
in under 50, the world’s first STOL aircraft! The Fi-156’s wings could
fold so it could be towed on a trailer or using its own landing gear.
Fi-156s were so great they were built after the war, too! The 3,000
German Fi-156s gave Rommel a birds’ eye view of his battles, saved
downed pilots, rescued Mussolini in a commando raid, flew wounded
men back to hospitals, in desert, mud, snow...
Fi-156 Storch
F-8 Bearcat
After the war, the French built Fi-156s and towed folding wing
fighter-bombers into action in Indo-China for air support

7. Phase I: Killer BD-17-In-a-Box (KBINAB)
GOAL: Get U.S. Army Brigades to own/operate
their own O/A UP-CAVs with artillery units as in
times past
MEANS: Build prototype Killer BD-17 system and
demonstrate to all possible Army units and offer
at below-the-political-budgetary-radar-screen

8. Killer BD-17 is smaller than RQ-1 Predator UCAVs
in use by U.S. Army now, but will not have 50% crash
rate

9. U.S. Army realized Fi-156 STOL liaison
craft were vital; purchased thousands
of STOL planes “grasshoppers” found
L-4 Piper Cub the enemy, directed arty/air strikes,
medevaced wounded Soldiers; could
land anywhere…Patton thought
about crossing Rhine using hundreds
On roads
On dirt trails
On grassy fields

10. During WW2, Korea and Vietnam, U.S. Army/marine forces had light liaison
aircraft that could be co-located with them on the ground with folding wings and
could be towed by trucks (today UAVs move by trailer), were very simple to
maintain to fly continuously overhead and report back enemy activities for
artillery barrages, aircraft strikes and their own decisive “Maneuver Air Support”
(MAS) with light weaponry before enemy could flee; Cessna (L-19) O-1 Bird
Dog light plane could take off and land in a football field but was slow (100 mph),
unarmored, poorly armed to defend self..
U.S. Army Dark Shadow UAVs are transported by trailers
but are unarmed to do anything about what they view
Here an Army Grasshopper plane is put on back of a truck and
taken to a ship where it will launch off a small deck for the invasion
of North Africa
Major Strong’s excellent account of Bird Dogs
in Vietnam War: www.strongware.com/23

11. Modern Bird Dog replacement: “Killer BD-17” MiniCOIN can
short-take-off and land under 300 feet like O-1
but powered by safe heavy fuel diesel/JP-8 as ground
vehicles use: “Grasshopper” MAS aircraft for modern,
non-linear battlefields!
Helicopters are difficult to keep flying, noisy, slow; UAVs lack peripheral
vision and investigative instinct = result U.S. troops no longer have
Maneuver Air Support under their operational control!

12. Killer BD-17 MiniCOIN
uses DeltaHawk 160 horsepower Diesel/JP-8 heavy fuel engine
for greater safety and fuel economy! Engine weighs just 327 lbs!
http://deltahawkengines.com/diesel00.shtml
http://deltahawkengines.com/econom01.shtml

13. CH-801 SparrowHawk MiniCOIN can carry pilot/observer
and 2 passengers. Underneath cargo pod carries
FLIR/night vision sensors and data imagery relay suite

14. CH-801 SparrowHawk MiniCOIN is safe: all people inside
can bail-out or entire plane brought to ground by ballistic
parachute or STOL land into any open area 100 feet or larger
As of May 2005, BRS parachutes have saved 177 lives!
http://brsparachutes.com/lifesave.html

15. Pilot/Observer-Gunner TA-50
* Army visored flight ballistic helmet w/radio
microphone (GFE)
* Tan NOMEX flight suit
* Nomex gloves
* Desert Boots
* Jump-capable Camel-Bak for H20
* Interceptor Body Armor (GFE) (sit on rear plate)
* IBA pouches for 7.62mm mags, SERE
kit with water purifier
* Butler seat parachute
* When operating over remote areas a folding
mountain bike or Darby ATACs carts to carry extra water and/or cover
greater distances at less exertion if forced down

16. Any flat surface at least 100 feet long, allows the MAS
CH-801 SparrowHawk MiniCOIN to land & take off, to be co-
located with ground maneuver units and to act as liaison
with supported ground units--direct coordination insures
understanding
Real World Imagery from Iraq

17. CH-801 SparrowHawk MiniCOIN “Mudfighter” Modifications
Goal is for CH-801 pilots to confidently land on any
rural plowed farm field even if wet/muddy and not
have wheels get stuck and crash/flip-over
3
3. Roll cage will bend/flex
and right aircraft even if
it flips over
2
2. Skis around wheels will insure
forward sliding movement even if
1
wheels mire into mud and prevent
flip-over; snow/ice STOL and water
taxi landing capability, sharp edge
can cut vegetation if encountered
1 . Dave Hansen’s Track-Wheels
Reduce ground pressure to under
2 PSI

18. CH-801 SparrowHawk MiniCOIN is designed to be operated from a field
environment and be ground mobile on trailers and in ISO containers to be
responsive to troops and remain overhead continuously
This easy-to-maintain MAS capability is yet to be fully exploited!

19. Attack: Human Airborne Forward Air Controllers (AFACs)
in CH-801s have excellent visibility to investigate
signs of enemy activity and down-link live video imagery to
Pathfinders below who can coordinate air strikes and/or
ground maneuver from M113 Gavin light tracked armored
fighting vehicles

20. As video imagery is fed down to Ground FAC Pathfinders below; objects
of interest can be safely investigated by human observers in the air
before lethal fires are bought to bear: preventing fratricide
“I see a suspicious bus on your video feed, should you attack it?”

21. “Negative. Its CNN”

22. “We see a mortar in a
courtyard!”
“Engage! Its not ours!”

23. Attack Element can hit enemies
before they can run since CH-801
carries light armaments; can also
direct GFAC Pathfinders to laser
target designate for other strike
aircraft with heavier ordnance to
be brought to bear…air helps
those on ground and ground
helps air = TEAMWORK!
CH-801 SparrowHawk MiniCOIN can carry
7-rocket M260 pods under its wings
with 14 x 2.75” Hydra 70mm smoke,
HE, HEAT, Frag rockets

24. Each Attack Pathfinder carries a M16 in 7.62mm x 51mm NATO
* Solves complaints of 5.56mm bullet not lethal enough in Iraq
* Can be mounted as M113 Gavin ground vehicle and CH-801 air vehicle
weapons
* 20" lightweight contour fluted barrel f/cooling
* Adjustable front post and flip rear peep sight
* Removable carrying handle to allow for scope mounting w/Picatinny rails
* M16A2 type handguards with Picatinny rails
* Unloaded weight: 8 3/4 lbs
* Can be jumped during bail-out
* Folding stock option more compact for firing from Gavins/SparrowHawks
* Affordable $1K price
BUSHMASTER
www.bushmaster.com/shopping/weapons/308/bcwa2s30820iz.asp
www.bushmaster.com/le/bushmaster_weapons_system_offers.htm

25. Heads-Up-Display type weapons sights enable full-auto firing accuracy
when Gavin and SparrowHawk vehicle mounted, pin-point and snap
shooting accuracy when on foot
www.bushmaster.com/shopping/scopes/eot-510.asp
Iron Sights retained
as back-up
With “heads-up display” technology adapted from F-14 Tomcat Fighters, the Holosight is the first electro-
optic sighting system to apply holographic technology to small arms. The HDS uses state of the art
digital electronics design, and is waterproof, fog proof and shockproof. Twenty brightness levels ensure
proper brightness control in either low light or bright sunlight. An on-board microprocessor provides
automatic battery check indicator, up/down brightness scrolling and programmable auto shut down
features. All electronics are fully encapsulated in shock absorbing resin compound, and the HDS has
been extensively tested on recoil simulators that mimic the recoil of a .454 Casull revolver. The sight's
tubeless design provides an unobstructed field of view and encourages two-eyes-open shooting. Simply
look through the 1/4" thick shatterproof laminate window, place the reticle image on the target and shoot.
Retical patterns are instantly visible in even the lowest light, instinctive to center regardless of the
shooting angle or position, and remain in view between shots. Additionally, anti-glare coatings on the
optical surface eliminate any muzzle side reflective signature, and a rugged “roll-bar” hood protects the
display. Commonly available type N alkaline batteries power the HDS and yield approx. 70 hrs.
continuous use at setting 12. The HDS will mount to any 1" standard Weaver dovetail mounting rail and
allows access to existing iron sight systems. Flat-top or handle style applications are shown at left - the
bi-level handle mount is an optional extra.

26. Right
M113 Gavin wing gunners can attach Left
their 7.62mm full-auto M16s behind a
protective gunshield
Need Picatinny M16 rail mount to connect lower
handguard into gunshield tray

27. Other Capabilities: CH-801 SparrowHawk MiniCOINs can drop
CopterBox supply pods to units in need of ammunition, food, water,
radios, and medical items with great precision…can fight way
through enemy opposition to sustain our men. During Army 3rd ID’s
“Thunder Run” into Baghdad this could have helped greatly...
Large vertically opening side
doors make it easy to drop
supplies and/or Paratroopers

28. Chuck Warren’s CopterBox disposable airdrop resupply
A B C
. . .
CopterBox:
A. Kit
B. Rigged
C. Autorotative
descent
Low-Cost!
Less than $400 per
box
www.dropmaster.com

29. Mohawks can also carry 1-3 personnel to rapidly evacuate casualties or
insert/extract Special Forces Commandos
During WW2, Alamo Scouts inserted/extracted into the Philippines using
Army Grasshopper Liaison aircraft! Patton wanted to put troops across
the Rhine river in the same way!

30. ANTI-UAV: CH-801s can fly continuously to be in position to hunt down
and destroy low-flying enemy UAVs to deny enemy the ability to spy on us.
Humans are needed in the loop to insure friendly drones are not
accidentally downed
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050411/wl_nm/lebanon_israel_dc_3
Hizbollah Flies Drone Over Northern Israel
Mon Apr 11, 4:47 PM ET
By Hussein Saad
TYRE, Lebanon (Reuters) - Lebanon's Hizbollah guerrillas flew an unmanned surveillance drone over northern Israel on Monday, the
group and the Israeli army said."In response to repeated and continuous enemy violations of Lebaneseairspace, the surveillance plane
Mersad 1 carried out a ]reconnaissance mission in the skies of occupied northern Palestine, flying over several Zionist colonies," a
Hizbollah statement said.The flight at 5.15 p.m.(1015 EDT) flew as far south as Acre on the Israelicoast, the statement said.Israeli
security sources said the small aircraft flew for several minutes over Israeli territory and then returned to Lebanon before Israeli aircraft
could intercept it."A short while ago, a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle)flown by the Hizbollah terrorist organization flew over western
Galilee in Israeli territory," an Israeli military spokeswoman said in Jerusalem.Witnesses said Israeli warplanes broke the sound barrier
over the southern Lebanese port city of Tyre and a nearby Palestinian refugee camp just after Hizbollah announced the flight.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which monitors the border between Israel and Lebanon, said it was checking
the report. "There have been a few violations by drones and jets today," a UNIFIL spokesman said. A senior Israeli airforce official
voiced concern that Hizbollah had sent the aircraft to escalate tensions along Israel's border with Lebanon while Syria was
withdrawing its forces from Lebanon after U.S.-led pressure."It is an attempt to harass us and send a message that Hizbollah is still
there," the official told Reuters.
"Hizbollah is aiming for massive disruptions ... Hizbollah understands that Syria's move away (from Lebanon) is a chance to shore up
its agenda to fight (Israel)," he said.The U.N. Security Council in September called on Hizbollah, backed by Syria and Iran, to disarm.
Hizbollah said in November it had flown a small reconnaissance drone into Israel for the first time in response to repeated Israeli
violations of Lebanese airspace. Hizbollah said the November flight had taken photos of Israeli towns and returned safely to base. But
witnesses said they saw a drone crash into the sea. The United Nations said in January it was gravely concerned about a flare-up of
violence between the Jewish state and Hizbollah, which wants to drive Israeli forces from the disputed Shebaa Farms border area.
Syria, Lebanon and Hizbollah say the area is Lebanese. The United Nations says it is Syrian land. Hizbollah was one of the main
forces behind Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000.

31. www.strategypage.com/dls/articles/2004111220.asp
James Dunnigan reports:
The Lebanese based terrorist group Hizbollah took credit for a small UAV that came down
Israelis Mediterranean coast on November 7th, flew over an Israeli town for 15 minutes and then
flew back into Lebanon. Hizbollah called their UAV "Mirsad 1", but it was probably an Iranian
Ababil. The Iranians have been developing UAVs for nearly a decade. Their Ababil is a 183
pound UAV with a ten foot wing span, a payload of about 80 pounds, a cruising speed of 290
kilometers an hour and an endurance of 90 minutes. The Ababil is known to operate as far as
120 kilometers from its ground controller. but it also has a guidance system that allows it to fly a
pre-programmed route and then return to the control by its ground controllers for a landing
(which is by parachute). The Ababil can carry a variety of day and night still and video cameras.
There are many inexpensive and very capable cameras available on the open market, as is the
equipment needed to transmit video and pictures back to the ground. The Israeli air defense
organization was embarrassed by this undetected UAV flight. In 1987, a Hizbollah commando
flew undetected into northern Israel using an ultralight vehicle (somewhat larger
than the Ababil), landed near a military camp, and killed six soldiers before he
was killed. This led to the air defense system in northern Israel being upgraded
to prevent that sort of thing happening again. Since then, the Israelis have
detected other ultralights and small aircraft trying to enter Israel, and have stopped
them. But during the November 7th flight, the UAV moved at an altitude of under
300 feet, and was the smallest aircraft the Israelis have had to deal with so far.
Nevertheless, the Israeli air defenses were apparently supposed to be capable
of spotting something like an Ababil UAV.

32. KB17-IAB Team Attack Element
6X
Flex-Cells
ButchWalker’s ANT-ISO or CDK
mobilizer wheels moves
ISO container with CH-801
Driver Gunner Chief
Pilot Observer
mechanic mechanic mechanic Pathfinder Element
Each Gavin has a power
inverter for 110v AC and
to charge small NiMH
batteries
Driver TC/Leader GFAC
One Gavin tows a special
M149 water buffalo with “Rhino Snot”
to seal a 300’ x 20’ STOL runway
Gavins that tow KB17-IAB have dozer
blades to scrape/flatten out the STOL runway

33. THE WATER RHINO!

34. Joint Attack Pathfinder Team lives in their BattleBoxes when not on duty
in the air in SparrowHawks or on ground in Gavins
Twin doors for air flow
Insulated walls to hold
in heat in winter, cool
air in summer
Ballistic doors have provision to fit A/C unit or Swamp
Cooler fan, must be accessible if BB is below ground;
lockable from outside for weapons security in CONUS
but can always open from inside for safety escape
Battle Box Interior/Configuration

35. Removable Kevlar top cover
with hard smooth outer and
slight peak forces rain water
and snow from roof
and acts as top
insulation
layer; G.I. camou
net system can
cover entire BB to
hide from detection
from above/far
away
ac
Ideal would be a top cover with embedded solar panels to power at least
overhead lights and fan if not the A/C unit, recharge small batteries for
troops’ night vision devices, radios etc. so there is no noise and fuel
demand from generators. Smoke detector and emergency fire
extinguisher pull-handle dumps foam to smother any
fire throughout box
Battle Against the Earth

36. Red/ White overhead light options
In addition to solar
and battery power,
recharging by pedal
power...
B BB B
David Butcher’s Leg crank Wall has row of 12 volt
peda-generator keeps deep-cycle batteries to
batteries charged power internal overhead
lights and fans using RV
technology with vents to
Battle Against the Earth outside

37. 6 fold up/down bunks can be
attached to either wall though should
be wall against earth barrier to
dodge blast over-pressure
Two storage lockers run
along bottom of BB to
lock weapons, NVDs,
ammo and personal items
Battle Against the Earth

38. Detachable
Standard issue metal Fold up/down table with partitions
folding chairs provide for computer cubicle effect creates
seats either a desk or place to sit/eat. Flat
screen TV and DVD player on this
wall could be viewed by troops from
their bunks
Battle Against the Earth

39. Troops can rapidly leave/enter BB
Stepped Ramp/Slide: troops use steps to reach top
of BB; can use other smooth side to slide down on
their butts to get to ground faster; it works
Battle Against the Man

40. Gavin bulldozers can pile earth around Battle Boxes to provide RPG,
bullet and rocket protection in above-ground configuration; Rhino Snot
prevents it becoming mud
Battle Against the Man

41. Fold-up earth-filled guard tower on top of Battle Box
provides 360 degree security. Earth fills protects
against RPG, bullet and rockets, all walls and
guard tower fit inside BB for shipment to
combat area!
Battle Against the Man

42. Amaze-N-Tow ISO: Here is an animation of the scaled-up
Amaze-N-Tow ISO container (ANT ISO) to enable
emplacement and movement of BBs by owning units
Amaze-N-Tow ISO can do
double-BB tows to enable
units to self-move all the
BBs they need/own without
outside help

43. CDK Mobilizer wheels are already in U.S. military service but
cost $85K each. They don’t add width so they can be driven on
U.S. highways. The Dory ISO container carrier is cheaper but wider
so we can’t drive on highways without escort vehicles/hassles.
CDK Mobilizer wheels
Dory ISO container carrier

44. Joint Attack Pathfinder MAS Teams
Operational prototype acquisition costs
Purchase 6 x CH-801 SparrowHawks $120K
12 x Flex-Cell 50 gal fuel bladders $24K
6 x DeltaHawk diesel engines $150K
FLIR/Electro-optical sensors $60K
IRCM, Chaff, rocket pods GFE
6 x Darby ATAC E&R backpacks $6K
6 x High-Mobility ANT-ISO Trailers $60K
6 x ISO container “Battle Boxes” $30K
1 x RS water buffalo f/ STOL runway $10K*
12 x M113 Gavin GFAC TAFVs $12K**
6 x Laser designators GFE
6 x Air/Ground Radio systems GFE
100 x CopterBoxes $3K
42 x persnel wpns training GUNSITE $42K
42 x M16 7.62mm assault rifles $42K
42 x Tan Nomex jumpsuits/helmets $42K
and miscellaneous TA-50 etc. $42K
__________________________________________
TOTAL $603K
* Includes Rhino Snot ** Need local law enforcement agency to be official owners

45. Joint Attack Pathfinder MAS Teams
Operations costs
The costs for maintaining the aircraft, supplying spare parts,
conducting flight testing for new capabilities (e.g. wing-mounted
litters) is going to be much greater. Figure on a contractor-supplied
work force of 6 pilots, 6 observers (might be uniformed
and no cost), 12 crew chief/maintenance (airframe, armament,
avionics, engine), etc. + 18 Attack Pathfinders @$50k/year salary
For a two year period, we estimate this at:
12 x Air Crewmen $600K/year
12 x A/G Maintenance men $600K/year
18 x Driver/TCs/Pathfinders $900K/year
Spare Parts PLL $100K/year
Total $2.2M/year

46. Phase II: Killer Wasp-In-a-Box (KWINAB)

47. Phase III: KWINAB Zero Length Launch

48. Phase IV: KWINAB Helicopter Launch & Recovery

49. Any Questions?