MD Helicopters
Helicopters | |
Owner | Bardin Hill Investment Partners and MBIA Insurance |
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Website | www |
MD Helicopters, LLC. (formerly McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems) is an American aerospace manufacturer. It produces light utility helicopters for commercial and military use. The company was a subsidiary of Hughes Aircraft until 1984, when McDonnell Douglas acquired it and renamed it McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems. It later became MD Helicopters in 1999 after McDonnell Douglas merged with Boeing.
History
The company began in 1947 as a unit of Hughes Aircraft, then was part of the Hughes Tool Company after 1955.[1] It became the helicopter division of Hughes' Summa Corporation in 1972,[2] and was finally reformed as Hughes Helicopters, Inc. in 1981. However, throughout its history, the company was informally known as Hughes Helicopters.[citation needed] The company was sold to McDonnell Douglas in 1984.
Hughes Helicopters produced three major designs during its 37-year history. The
In May 1965, the company won the contract for a new observation helicopter for the
, variants of which remain in production to this day.In 1975, the company won the contract for the
In January 1984, Hughes Helicopters, Inc. was sold to
On August 1, 1997, McDonnell Douglas merged into
In 1999, Boeing completed the spin off of the civilian line of helicopters to a newly formed MD Helicopter Holdings Inc., an indirect subsidiary of the Dutch company, RDM Holding Inc. The line included the MD 500 and variants as well as the family of derivative NOTAR aircraft that originated with Hughes Helicopters Inc. Boeing maintained the AH-64 line of helicopters and rights to the NOTAR system.[10][11]
After suffering dismal commercial performance, the company was purchased in 2005 by Patriarch Partners, LLC, an investment fund.[12] The company was recapitalized as an independent company, MD Helicopters, Inc.[13] MD Helicopters is based in Mesa, Arizona.[14] Lynn Tilton, the Chief Executive Officer and sole principal of Patriarch Partners, was CEO of MD Helicopters until she relinquished control in March 2020 following bankruptcy court rulings related to Patriarch holdings.[15]
By March 2022, the manufacturer filed for US
The new owners of MD Helicopters envision raising production to 50 helicopters a year by 2025 as the company rebuilds after exiting bankruptcy in August 2022.[17] The plans are part of efforts by the OEM's new owners to turn around the company's fortunes after what new CEO Brad Pedersen described as the “rocky heritage” of the manufacturer under different owners since it was spun off from the merger of McDonnell Douglas and Boeing[18] in the 1990s.
In 2023, the company closed out a long-running dispute with Aerometals over copyright and also has built closer relations with Boeing to cooperate on the AH-6 Little Bird platform, which shares a similar airframe to the MD530F.[17]
Products
(Under both McDonnell Douglas and MD Helicopters)
- MD 500
- MD 500 Defender
- MD 530
- MD 520 (Currently just support, not production line)
- MD 600 (Currently just support, not production line)
- MD Explorer (Currently just support, not production line)
(Under McDonnell Douglas only)
- AH-64 Apache - Product line transferred to Boeing Defense, Space & Securityin 1998
- MH-6 Little Bird - later under Boeing Rotorcraft Systems and now as Vertical Lift division of Boeing Defense, Space & Security
in 2023, the outlook looks bleak for the restart in production of the twin-engine MD902 or further investment in the company’s No Tail Rotor (NOTAR) anti-torque system technology. CEO Brad Pedersen says the company is trying to support the MD902 “where it can,” but the production line for the aircraft has been dormant for 10 years, as has the supply chain for components. “The MD902 is a difficult discussion, and we don’t have a path forward right now,” Pedersen says.
In 2016, MD Helicopters had claimed it was making investments in the NOTAR technology, but Pedersen says there is no evidence of these efforts.
“The question is from a business standpoint, where do we spend our time focusing, and what’s the biggest bang for the buck?” Pedersen says. NOTAR, he suggests, is not a priority. [17]
See also
Comparable major helicopter manufacturers:
- AgustaWestland
- Airbus Helicopters
- Bell Helicopter
- Boeing Rotorcraft Systems
- Russian Helicopters
- Sikorsky Aircraft
References
- ^ Rumerman, Judy. "The Hughes Companies". U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission.
- ^ "The Hughes Tool Co. ... Looking at Rotors". Post-War Developments: 1946-1956. Boeing. Archived from the original on 2011-03-09.
- ^ "Hughes Model 269A (TH55) Osage". SpruceGoose.org. Archived from the original on 2008-12-21. Retrieved 2006-12-07.
- ^ "The Boeing Logbook: 1964-1970". Boeing. Archived from the original on 2011-05-24.
- ^ "The Boeing Logbook: 1971-1976". Boeing. Archived from the original on 2008-12-30.
- ^ "The Boeing Logbook: 1977-1982". Boeing. Archived from the original on 2012-03-06.
- ISBN 0-86101-675-0.
- ^ The Boeing Logbook: 1997-2001 Archived 2013-01-02 at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 1-875671-58-7
- ^ Boeing Announces Sale of its Light Helicopter Product Lines Archived 2007-12-28 at the Wayback Machine, Boeing, 1999-02-19.
- ^ "Boeing: Boeing Announces Sale of its Light Helicopter Product Lines". Archived from the original on 2008-02-13. Retrieved 2008-02-07.. Boeing News Release
- ^ "OH-6 Cayuse/Hughes 500 Helicopter". Boeing. Archived from the original on 2006-11-28.
- ^ "Interesting News from MD Helicopters". Archived from the original on 2019-07-09.
- ^ "Company Background Information". MD Helicopters. Archived from the original on December 29, 2010. Retrieved 2007-02-25.
- ^ Tilton Out at MD Helicopters
- ^ Dominic Perry (30 March 2022). "Buyer for MD Helicopters emerges as airframer enters Chapter 11 restructuring". FlightGlobal.
- ^ a b c "New MD Helicopters Owners Plan Aggressive Ramp Up In Production | Aviation Week Network". aviationweek.com. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
- ^ "Merger or no, Boeing and McDonnell Douglas linked". 2012-10-24. Archived from the original on 2012-10-24. Retrieved 2024-02-28.