(Hughes) MD 500 @·AIRCRAFTUBE

  • Hughes 369E Hughes 369E
    Hughes 369E
  • Hughes 500 Model 369D Hughes 500 Model 369D
    Hughes 500 Model 369D
  • Hughes MD 500E Hughes MD 500E
    Hughes MD 500E
  • Hughes 500 Model 369HS Hughes 500 Model 369HS
    Hughes 500 Model 369HS
  • Hughes 500C 369HS Hughes 500C 369HS
    Hughes 500C 369HS
  • Hughes MD 500E Hughes MD 500E
    Hughes MD 500E
  • Hughes 500C 369HS Hughes 500C 369HS
    Hughes 500C 369HS
  • Hughes 500D Hughes 500D
    Hughes 500D
  • Hughes 500M 369HM Hughes 500M 369HM
    Hughes 500M 369HM
  • Hughes MD 500E Hughes MD 500E
    Hughes MD 500E
  • Hughes 500MD - Armada Espanol Hughes 500MD - Armada Espanol
    Hughes 500MD - Armada Espanol
  • Hughes 500S Hughes 500S
    Hughes 500S
  • Hughes 530MG Hughes 530MG
    Hughes 530MG
  • Hughes-Agusta NH-500E (NH-369E) Hughes-Agusta NH-500E (NH-369E)
    Hughes-Agusta NH-500E (NH-369E)
  • Hughes MD 500E Hughes MD 500E
    Hughes MD 500E
  • Hughes MD 500N Hughes MD 500N
    Hughes MD 500N
  • Hughes OH-6 Cayuse Hughes OH-6 Cayuse
    Hughes OH-6 Cayuse
  • Hughes-MDH 369 E Hughes-MDH 369 E
    Hughes-MDH 369 E
  • Nardi-Hughes NH.500MC Nardi-Hughes NH.500MC
    Nardi-Hughes NH.500MC

Hughes MD 500 series

The MD Helicopters MD 500 series is an American family of light utility civilian and military helicopters. The MD 500 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.

Design and development

The successful Hughes 500/MD 500 series began life in response to a U.S. Army requirement for a light observation helicopter. Hughes' Model 369 won the contest against competition from Bell and Hiller. The OH-6 Cayuse first flew in February 1963.

The 500 series design 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 the floor and the battery in the nose. The engine exhaust port is located at the end of the cabin pod underneath the tail boom. It has a short-diameter main rotor system and a short tail, giving it an agile control response and is less susceptible to weather-cocking.

Hughes won the U.S. Army's LOH contest with its OH-6 helicopter by submitting a very low and aggressive price per airframe (without an engine). Due to rising prices, the U.S. Army later re-opened the contest, where Hughes offered the machine at a more realistic price, but was undercut by the redesigned Bell OH-58 Kiowa (military JetRanger). OH-6 helicopters were still ordered by the U.S. Army, though at a much reduced number.

Hughes/MD 500

Prior to the OH-6's first flight, Hughes announced it was developing a civil version, to be marketed as the Hughes 500, 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).

The improved Hughes 500D became the primary model in 1976, with a more powerful engine, a T-tail, and new five-blade main rotor; a four-blade tail rotor was optional. The 500D was replaced by the 500E from 1982 with a pointed nose and various interior improvements, such as greater head and leg room. The 530F was a more powerful version of the 500E optimized for hot and high work.

McDonnell Douglas acquired Hughes Helicopters in January 1984, and from August 1985 the 500E and 530F were built as the MD 500E and MD 530F Lifter. Following the 1997 Boeing-McDonnell Douglas merger, Boeing sold the former MD civil helicopter lines to MD Helicopters in early 1999. Military variants are marketed under the MD 500 Defender name.

MD 520N

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 tail boom, using the Coandă effect to counteract the torque of the main rotor, and a controllable thruster at the end of the tail boom is used for yaw control. Because the fan is enclosed in the tail boom, 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 maneuvering accidents.

McDonnell Douglas originally intended to develop 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 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, with changes to the diffuser and fan rigging, increased range.

Variants

  • 369 : Military prototype designated YOH-6A.
  • 369A : Military production designated OH-6.
  • MD 500C (369H) : Improved five-seat commercial variant powered by an Allison 250-C18B rated at 317 shp (236 kW); certified in 1966.
  • MD 500M Defender (369HM) : Military export version as the MD 500 Defender; certified in 1968.
  • MD 500C (369HS) : Improved four-seat commercial variant by an Allison 250-C20 rated at 400 shp (298 kW); certified in 1969.
  • MD 500C (369HE) : A 369HS with higher standard interior fittings, Certified in 1969.
  • MD 500D (369D) : New commercial version from 1976 powered by an Alison 250-C20B rated at 420 shp (313 kW); certified in 1976.
  • MD 500E (369E) : Executive version of the 500D with recontoured nose; certified in 1982.
  • NH-500E : Italian-built version of the 500E. License-produced by Breda Nardi before merging with Agusta.
  • MD 530F (369F) : Hot and high version of the 500E powered by an Allison 250-C30B rated at 650 shp (485 kW), certified in 1985.
  • MD 520N : NOTAR version of the 500E, certified in 1991.
  • Unmanned Little Bird Demonstrator and AH-6 : A civilian 530F modified by Boeing Rotorcraft Systems to develop UAV technologies for both civilian and military applications.

McDonnell Douglas MD 500 Defender

Design and development

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 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 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 a mast mounted sight (MMS).

In December 2012, Boeing demonstrated their Unmanned Little Bird to the South Korean Army. The pilotless aircraft flew autonomously for 25 minutes. The purpose of the demonstration was to show unmanned capabilities technologies, such as enhanced ISR and resupply, in the system that could be integrated into Army MD 500 helicopters.

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 and block MD Helicopters from participating, citing agreements 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 Little Bird in 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 the AAS program in late 2013.

Variants

  • 500D Scout Defender : Armed reconnaissance version
  • 500M Defender : Military export version of the 500 and 500C, built under license by Kawasaki in Japan (as the OH-6J) and Breda Nardi in Italy.
  • 500M/ASW Defender : Export version for the Spanish Navy.
  • NH-500M Defender : Italian-built version of the 500M Defender. Licensed by Breda Nardi before merge with Agusta.
  • 500MD Defender : Military version of the 500D.
  • 500MD/ASW Defender : Maritime version of the 500MD Defender.
  • 500MD/TOW Defender : Anti-tank version of the 500MD Defender, armed with TOW anti-tank missiles.
  • 500MD/MMS-TOW Defender : Anti-tank version, fitted with a mast-mounted sight, armed with TOW anti-tank missiles.
  • 500MD Quiet Advanced Scout Defender : Fitted with noise suppression equipment.
  • 500MD Defender II : Improved version.
  • 500MG Defender : Military version of the 500E.
  • 520MG Defender : Philippine military version. Special Forces version, modified 500MG Defender to carry weapons and operate as a light attack aircraft.
  • 520MK Black Tiger : South Korean-built military version, built by Korean Air Aerospace Division, Korean Air 's aerospace division from 1976 to 1984 with 200 choppers made. 50 were armed with TOW anti-tank missiles and 150 choppers used for transportation and support duties.
  • 530MG Defender : Military version of the 530F.
  • MD530 Nightfox : Night attack version.
  • MD530MG Paramilitary Defender : Police or border patrol version.
  • MD540F : Upgraded MD530F, incorporating a 6-bladed, fully articulated rotor blade system made of composite material, a more rugged landing skid for heavier take-off and landing weights, a fully integrated digital glass cockpit with multi-function color displays and a pilot Helmet Display and Tracking System (HDTS), which couples together a targeting FLIR and laser designator.

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This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Source : Article MD Helicopters MD 500 of Wikipedia ( authors )

Specifications (Model 500C)

  • Crew : 1-2.
  • Capacity : 5 total.
  • Length : 30 ft 10 in (9.4 m).
  • Rotor diameter : 26 ft 4 in (8.03 m).
  • Height : 8 ft 2 in (2.48 m).
  • Empty weight : 1,088 lb (493 kg).
  • Max. takeoff weight : 2,250 lb (1,157 kg).
  • Maximum speed : 152 knots (175 mph, 282 km/h).
  • Cruise speed : 125 kn (144 mph, 232 km/h).
  • Range : 375 mi (605 km).
  • Service ceiling : 16,000 ft (4,875 m).
  • Rate of climb : 1,700 ft/min (8.6 m/s).
  • Powerplant : One Allison 250-C20 Turboshaft.
  • Power : 278 hp (207 kW).

Specifications (Model 500E)

  • Crew : 1-2.
  • Capacity : 5 total.
  • Length : 30.81 ft (9.4 m).
  • Rotor diameter : 26.4 ft (8.1 m).
  • Height : 8.4 ft (2.6 m).
  • Disc area : 586.8 ft² (54.5 m²).
  • Empty weight : 1,481 lb (672 kg).
  • Max. takeoff weight : 3,000 lb (1,361 kg).
  • Maximum speed : 152 knots (175 mph, 282 km/h).
  • Cruise speed : 135 kn (155 mph, 250 km/h).
  • Range : 267 mi (429 km).
  • Service ceiling : 16,000 ft (4,877 m).
  • Rate of climb : 1,770 ft/min (9 m/s).
  • Powerplant : One Allison 250-C20B Turboshaft.
  • Power : 420 hp (313 kW).

Specifications (MD 530F)

  • Crew : 1-2.
  • Capacity : 5 total.
  • Length : 32 ft 7 in (9.94 m).
  • Rotor diameter : 27 ft 4 in (8.33 m).
  • Height : 8 ft 9 in (2.48 m).
  • Disc area : 587.5 sq ft (54.6 sq m).
  • Empty weight : 1,591 lb (722 kg).
  • Max. takeoff weight : 3,550 lb (1,610 kg).
  • Maximum speed : 152 knots (175 mph, 282 km/h).
  • Cruise speed : 135 kn (155 mph, 250 km/h).
  • Range : 232 nmi (267 mi, 430 km).
  • Service ceiling : 18,700 ft (5,700 m).
  • Rate of climb : 2,070 ft/min (10.5 m/s).
  • Powerplant : One Allison 250-C30 Turboshaft.
  • Power : 650 hp (485 kW).

— — — = = — — —

This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Source : Article MD Helicopters MD 500 of Wikipedia ( authors )
Hughes MD 500 : Your comments on this subject
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