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46-507: The Unmanned Little Bird demonstrator, which Boeing built from a civilian MD 530F , first flew on September 8, 2004, and made its first autonomous flight (with safety pilot) on October 16, 2004. In April 2006, Boeing used the ULB to demonstrate the ability of another helicopter, in this case an AH-64 Apache to remotely control the ULB's weapons payload as a part of Boeing's Airborne Manned/Unmanned System Technology Demonstration (AMUST-D) program. For

92-633: A capable anti-armor helicopter for less than half the cost of a gunship such as the AH-1 Cobra or the AH-64 Apache . Israel used the Defender extensively during the conflicts of the late 1970s and 1980s against Syrian armored forces. The Defender was later built as an improved version as the MD530MG , with increased engine power, handling, avionics , and a redesigned forward fuselage. Later developments included

138-716: A considerably lower purchase cost. At the start of the Salvadoran Civil War , the Salvadoran Air Force operated a total of six MD 500D helicopters purchased from civilian sources. Amid the conflict, these were supplemented by a further nine MD 500Es that were supplied by the United States in 1984. The type was typically operated in the gunship role, having been armed with both XM27 7.62 mm Minigun subsystems and unguided 70mm rocket pods; additional mission roles included aerial reconnaissance and liaison duties. By

184-483: A large portion of their service life. There have been allegations that at least sixty of the helicopters delivered to North Korea have been modified to serve as helicopter gunships. As South Korea produces the MD 500 domestically (under license) for use by its own armed forces, the modified helicopters operated by North Korea were deemed useful in conducting covert or deceptive operations against South Korea (such as incursions past

230-494: A mast mounted sight (MMS). In December 2012, Boeing demonstrated their Unmanned Little Bird to the South Korean Army . The pilotless aircraft flew autonomously in a 25-minute demonstration for the purpose of showing unmanned capabilities technologies, such as enhanced ISR and resupply, in the system that could be integrated into Army MD 500 helicopters. In October 2015, Korean Air Aerospace Division (KAL-ASD) unveiled

276-542: A maximum mission payload of 2,400 lb (1,090 kg). The AH-6i is the export version of the AH-6S. The AH-6i first flew on September 16, 2009. Jordan has expressed interest in ordering the AH-6i in May 2010. In October 2010 Saudi Arabia requested 36 AH-6i aircraft with related equipment and weapons from the United States through a Foreign Military Sale . Kaman Corporation is developing

322-584: A mock-up of their unmanned MD 500, designated the Korean Air Unmanned System-Vertical Helicopter (KUS-VH), featuring blacked out windows, a large fuel tank where the rear seats would be that extends endurance to four hours, and an armament of two Hellfire missiles and a 2.75 in (70 mm) rocket pod; unlike Boeing's optionally manned and unarmed ULB, the KUS-VH is completely unmanned and armed as well as having an EO/IR sensor. The KUS-VH

368-537: A retrofittable graphite epoxy rotorblade for the AH-6. In summer 2011, an H-6U performed autonomous landings on a moving truck bed for French companies Thales and DCNS for France's General Directorate for Armament , in preparation for sea trials on a French frigate in 2012. In October 2012, the AH-6i completed a flight demonstration for the U.S. Army in anticipation of the Armed Aerial Scout program. While

414-502: A usable external payload of 6,000 lb (2,720 kg) and has been used in theater to resupply Marines. Evaluations were to begin in February 2014 at Marine Corps Base Quantico . Marines at Quantico announced they had successfully landed an unmanned Little Bird, as well as a K-MAX, autonomously using a mini- tablet computer in April 2014. The helicopters were equipped with technology called

460-569: Is a light multi-role military helicopter based on the MD 500 light utility helicopter and OH-6 Cayuse Light Observation Helicopter . The original OH-6 Cayuse helicopter proved its worth during the Vietnam War in the light helicopter role. The designers at Hughes realized there was a market for a light multi-mission helicopter with an improved equipment fit than the OH-6 and Model 500M. The resulting design

506-438: Is envisioned to perform missions including ISR, attack, aerial delivery, coast guard, amphibious landing support, and emergency reinforcement to back up manned helicopter units. A KUS-VH unit would consist of two to four aircraft and sensor packages, a ground control system and ground support system, and it could operate alone or in conjunction with manned attack helicopters. A request for proposals for an unmanned scout helicopter

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552-620: Is estimated to cost US$ 2 million. The systems related to the unmanned flight capabilities have also been designed to be able to be installed in any other helicopter as well, including the Apache. An Unmanned Little Bird performed a fully autonomous flight in June 2010, including avoiding obstacles using LIDAR . In 2009, it was reported that Boeing was working on the "AH-6S Phoenix" for the US Army's restarted ARH program, named Armed Aerial Scout . The AH-6S design

598-434: Is expected in 2016–2017, for which the company says making the up to 175 MD 500s unmanned would be a cheap way of reusing them after retirement from service over the next 10 years for safely performing dangerous attack missions. MD Helicopters had submitted a version called the MD 540F in the U.S. Army 's Armed Aerial Scout program. This caused Boeing to try to block MD Helicopters from participating, citing agreements

644-422: Is more common to see it used as a private/personal helicopter instead. While numerous operators have opted to procure MD 500s with the newer Rolls-Royce 250-C20 engine, which provides greater reliability and power output than older counterparts, some operators have reportedly chosen to remove these engines and substitute them with Vietnam-era surplus engines which are available even into the twenty-first century at

690-495: Is stretched by 15 inches (380 mm) to allow room for other ARH crew shot down in combat to be recovered. The aircraft also would feature an extended aerodynamic nose to house avionics hardware. AH-6S cockpit and main rotor composite blades are to be based the AH-64D Block III. The AH-6S will have an improved tail rotor and a more powerful Rolls-Royce 250-CE30 engine. The Little Bird has an endurance of 12 hours and carries

736-425: Is used for yaw control. Because the fan is enclosed in the tailboom, tail rotor noise—the major source of noise from most conventional helicopters—was significantly reduced. It also eliminated the vulnerable exposed tail rotor blades, eliminating the possibility of persons being injured or killed on the ground and the cause for many confined area manoeuvring accidents. McDonnell Douglas originally intended to develop

782-584: The MD 500 Defender name. The MD 520N introduced a revolutionary advance in helicopter design, dispensing with a conventional anti-torque tail rotor in favor of the Hughes/McDonnell-Douglas-developed NOTAR system. Exhaust from a fan is directed through slots in the tailboom, using the Coandă effect to counteract the torque of the main rotor, and a controllable thruster at the end of the tailboom

828-484: The MD 530F ; it has also proven to be popular with law enforcement agencies. Production of the type was continued into the twenty-first century by Hughes' successor companies, McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems , and subsequently MD Helicopters . While the MD 500 series has been largely operated by civil customers, it has occasionally seen military use, even to the extent of performing front line combat operations. The Salvadoran Air Force deployed their examples during

874-491: The Salvadoran Civil War , leading to several losses. North Korea also covertly obtained a fleet of MD500s for military purposes, some of which have been allegedly configured into gunships . The Hughes 500/MD 500 series can be traced back to the early 1960s and the issuing of a requirement for a Light Observation Helicopter (LOH) for the United States Army . Following a competitive tendering process, Hughes' Model 369

920-440: The United States Army 's Yuma Proving Ground , flying a pre-programmed 20-minute armed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission around the facility. All previous flights during the 450 flight hour engineering development phase had a safety pilot on board, although the aircraft was typically flown remotely from the ground. With the successes of the ULB, Boeing incorporated its technologies into an A/MH-6, designating it

966-461: The "flying egg". Hughes had allegedly succeeded in the LOH contest with its OH-6 helicopter by submitting a very low and aggressive price per airframe (without an engine), to the point where the company allegedly lost money . Due to price escalations for both the OH-6 and spare components, the U.S. Army opted to reopen bids for the programme in 1967. Seeking to profitably produce the type, Hughes offered

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1012-568: The 1980s, North Korea managed to circumvent US export restrictions and covertly purchase a total of 87 civilian-type Hughes MD 500s through a legitimate West German export firm before the US government learned of the illegal action by North Korea and acted to prevent any further deliveries to the country. Once they had arrived in North Korea, efforts continued to be made to conceal their existence, and are believed to have been flown only sparingly at least for

1058-578: The 500 series, was acquired by the American aircraft manufacturer McDonnell Douglas . Accordingly, starting in August 1985, the 500E and 530F were rebranded as the MD 500E and MD 530F Lifter respectively. Following the merger between Boeing and McDonnell Douglas, the division was briefly owned by the new entity; Boeing opted to quickly sell the former MD civil helicopter lines to the newly created MD Helicopters in early 1999. Military variants are marketed under

1104-608: The A/MH-6X. On September 20, 2006, the first A/MH-6X lifted off on its maiden flight from Boeing Rotorcraft Systems' Mesa, Arizona facility with a pilot on board. While the ULB Demonstrator had a payload of 2,400 pounds, the MELB has an additional 1,000 pounds of payload capacity. The A/MH-6X is similar to the A/MH-6M, but includes a prototype glass cockpit and a number of upgrades to

1150-587: The AH-6i is aimed at international customers, Boeing intends to offer it for the program. The Army ended the AAS program in late 2013. In December 2012, Boeing demonstrated the Unmanned Little Bird version of the AH-6 to the South Korean Army . The aircraft flew autonomously for 25 minutes to demonstrate the unmanned system's capabilities that can be integrated into Army MD 500 Defender helicopters. In September 2013, Aurora Flight Sciences and Boeing offered

1196-510: The Autonomous Aerial Cargo/Utility System (AACUS), which combines advanced algorithms with LIDAR and electro-optical/infrared sensors to enable a person holding a tablet to select a point to land the helicopter at an unprepared landing site. Autonomous landing without the need for remote control or tele-operation reduces operator burden and allows them be resupplied or conduct other missions like medical evacuation around

1242-525: The H-6U Little Bird for the U.S. Marine Corps unmanned lift intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance capability competition. Boeing, working as a subcontractor, was flying the Little Bird without human input, but with a pilot on board to comply with Federal Aviation Administration regulations during testing near Manassas, Virginia . The H-6U is competing against the unmanned Kaman K-MAX , which has

1288-458: The Hughes 500. It was available in basic five- and seven-seat configurations. A utility version with a more powerful engine was offered as the 500U (later called the 500C). During 1976, the improved Hughes 500D became the primary model. It was outfitted with a more powerful engine, a T-tail, and a new five-blade main rotor; furthermore, a four-blade tail rotor could be optionally installed. The 500D

1334-428: The MD 520N was awarded on September 13, 1991, and the first was delivered on December 31 that year. In 2000, MD Helicopters announced enhancements to the MD 520N, including an improved Rolls-Royce 250-C20R+ engine with 3% to 5% more power for better performance on warm days, and changes to the diffuser and fan rigging, also increased range. The MD 500 series had proven to be popular with civilian operators, with which

1380-601: The border). The modified MD 500 helicopters were finally revealed by North Korea in an obviously visible manner, even to international observers, during the country’s annual Victory Parade held in Pyongyang on 27 July 2013, which commemorated the 60th anniversary of the end of the Korean War in 1953. According to analysists, it is visible that the North Korea's fleet of MD 500s have been modified significantly so that they can function as light attack helicopters. Amongst these changes

1426-467: The clock. The AACUS weighs 100 lb (45 kg), so it can be easily integrated onto other aircraft like the CH-53E Super Stallion and V-22 Osprey . According to Rear Adm. Matthew Klunder, Chief of Naval Research, operational use of the system could be possible by 2015–2016. The Office of Naval Research selected Aurora Flight Sciences and the Unmanned Little Bird to complete development of

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1472-683: The companies struck in 2005 to offer the Mission Enhanced Little Bird in the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter program. As part of the venture, MD Helicopters sold intellectual property related to the aircraft's design. The two companies lost the bid and the program was ultimately cancelled. When MD Helicopters disclosed plans to offer the MD 540F in the AAS program in April 2012, Boeing claimed that they could not sell any "similarly configured" aircraft to any U.S. or foreign military organization. Boeing offered their AH-6 in

1518-517: The competition. MD Helicopters said Boeing did not object to previous sales to armed forces and governments in Japan, Jordan, and Italy, as well as to U.S. special operations, and local U.S. police forces. Restrictions on selling aircraft similar to the Little Bird, domestically or to foreign users, would have put the company out of business. In July 2013, a federal court ruled that MD Helicopters could not be blocked from offering their aircraft. The Army ended

1564-404: The electronics and avionics. The A/MH-6X is an optionally manned or unmanned aircraft which is a hybrid of the ULB demonstrator and the A/MH-6M mission-enhanced Little Bird which is used by US Army Special Operations Command. Boeing funded the development program itself; it intends to market the aircraft for both military and homeland security roles within the U.S. and internationally. The aircraft

1610-690: The end of the conflict, only two MD 500D and seven MD 500Es were reportedly in an operational condition. By 2012 Salvadoran Air Force received three brand new MD 500Es from MD Helicopters to be used for the United Nations mission in Mali, Africa. In 2022 the United States donated four MD 530Fs which were previously owned by the Department Of State Air Wing (DOSAW) which will also be used for United Nations missions. El Salvadoran Air Force as of 2023 currently operates six MD 500Es and four MD 530Fs. During

1656-401: The floor and the battery in the nose. The engine exhaust port is located at the end of the cabin pod underneath the tailboom. It has a short-diameter main rotor system and a short tail, which gives it an agile control response and also makes it less susceptible to weather-cocking. It had a distinctive atypical teardrop-shaped fuselage, a feature that sometimes led to personnel referring to it as

1702-467: The initial test, the Apache Longbow was on the ground, while the ULB was airborne several miles away and Hellfire missiles were fired from the ULB by a tester sitting at the co-pilot's station in the Apache. Both aircraft are equipped with tactical common data link equipment and technologies manufactured by L-3 Communications . The ULB Demonstrator first flew in the unmanned mode on June 30, 2006 from

1748-484: The machine at a more realistic unit price of $ 56,550, however, this bid was undercut by the redesigned Bell OH-58 Kiowa, a militarised version of the JetRanger series. Despite this, some OH-6 helicopters were still ordered by the U.S. Army, though at a much reduced number. Even prior to the first flight of the OH-6, Hughes had announced that it was working on a civilian version of the rotorcraft, which would be marketed as

1794-483: The prototype AACUS system over Lockheed and the K-MAX. Data from The International Directory of Civil Aircraft, MD 530F data General characteristics Performance Armament Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era MD Helicopters MD 500 The MD Helicopters MD 500 series is an American family of light utility civilian and military helicopters . The MD 500

1840-460: The standard MD 520N alongside the more powerful hot-and-high optimized MD 530N; both were launched in January 1989 and were based on the conventional MD 500E. The MD 530N was the first to fly, on December 29, 1989, and the MD 520N first flew on May 1, 1990. Development of the MD 530N was suspended when McDonnell Douglas decided that the MD 520N met most customer requirements for the 530N. Certification for

1886-399: The type has seen use for a diverse range of purposes. According to Flying magazine, it has been particularly popular in circumstances where the primary passenger and pilot are both in the front seats, as can be typical in aerial observation , utility, and law enforcement work. A minority have been used for executive transportation, for which suitable rear seating is typically provisioned; it

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1932-543: Was developed from the Hughes 500 , a civilian version of the US Army's OH-6A Cayuse/Loach . The series currently includes the MD 500E , MD 520N , and MD 530F . The MD 500 was initially produced by Hughes Helicopters as the Hughes 500 . Since being introduced in 1967, numerous models have been produced, often featuring a more powerful engine or a five-bladed main rotor in place of the original four-blade counterpart. The MD 500 has been commonly used for utility work, particularly

1978-675: Was mounting points and interfacing apparatus to allow them to fire Soviet-designed AT-3 Sagger anti-tank wire-guided missiles. The MD 500 is widely operated by private individuals, companies and law enforcement agencies around the world. [REDACTED]   Kurdistan Data from MD500E Performance Specifications, The International Directory of Civil Aircraft General characteristics Performance Data from General characteristics Performance Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists MD 500 Defender The McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems MD 500 Defender

2024-410: Was replaced by the 500E from 1982 with a pointed nose and various interior improvements, such as greater head- and legroom. The 530F was a more powerful version of the 500E optimized for hot and high work, being furnished with an enlarged main rotor and more powerful Allison 250-C30 engine, capable of producing up to 425 hp. During January 1984, Hughes Helicopters , the original manufacturer of

2070-410: Was selected as the winning bid, triumphing over rival submission from the helicopter manufacturers Bell and Hiller . On 27 February 1963, under the service designation of OH-6 Cayuse , the maiden flight of the type was performed. The MD 500 series features shock-absorbing landing skid struts, a turboshaft engine mounted at a 45-degree angle toward the rear of the cabin pod, a fuel tank cell under

2116-462: Was the Model 500MD Defender which first flew in 1976. It was tailored for specific roles including unarmed observation and an armed scout helicopter equipped with TOW anti-tank missiles. An anti-submarine version was developed with a search radar , magnetic anomaly detector and the capability to carry lightweight aerial torpedoes . The helicopter was popular with customers like Kenya who could buy

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