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The MD Helicopters MD 500 series is a 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, and would be 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 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 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.
In 1976 the improved Hughes 500D became the primary model. It has a more powerful engine, a T-tail and a new five-blade main rotor.
The 500D was replaced by the 500E from 1982. It has a pointed nose and various interior improvements such as greater head and leg room.
The 530F was a more powerful version of the 500E, optimised 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.
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| World fleet | Charter fleet | Typical pax | Cabin volume | Cruise | Range | Years | |
| Hughes 369HS | ●● | ● | ● | ●●●●●●●●● | ●●●●●●● | ●●●●●● | ●●●●●●● |
| Hughes 369D | ●●● | ●● | ● | ●●●●●●●●● | ●●●●●●● | ●●●●●● | ●●●●●●●●●● |
| MDH 500E | ●●● | ●● | ● | ●●●●●●●●● | ●●●●●●● | ●●●●●●●●●● | |
| MDH 530F | ●●● | ●● | ● | ●●●●●●●●● | ●●●●●●● | ●●●●●● | ●●●●●●●●●● |
| March 14, 2022 | Houston Police turns to MDH for heli maintenance |
| November 15, 2021 | California law enforcement brings in MD 530F to tackle drugs |
| August 26, 2021 | Huntington Beach remains faithful to MD Helicopters |
| May 10, 2021 | MD Helicopters names Oceania as authorised rep |
| April 19, 2021 | Jack Harter switches helicopter fleet to ExxonMobil 387 |
| March 6, 2021 | Hughes offers huge benefits to business owner Colclough |
| February 22, 2021 | Mixed fleet Foresight MX will serve TVA well |
| November 2, 2020 | FAA gives human external cargo system a boost |
| September 5, 2020 | MD 530F gains 250lbs on takeoff weight |
| August 13, 2020 | E-to-F conversion makes this Wilson MD 530 good as new |
| February 23, 2020 | Garmin touchscreen navigator upgrade is approved |
| February 2, 2020 | Single engine advances on track from MD Helicopters |
| March 19, 2019 | PowerFlarm makes landmark sale to UK customer |
| March 12, 2019 | TVA’s MD 530F will take charge of powerline inspection |
| March 5, 2019 | Onboard Systems dual cargo hook certified for MD500 |
| November 15, 2018 | Virginia Beach police selects MD 530H |
| September 23, 2015 | Bushveld takes factory-new MD 500ER for conservation |
| September 10, 2014 | Me & my aircraft: Single engine helicopters – Single helis are adaptable and robust, with twin benefits at lower cost |
| October 3, 2011 | Packshot's helicopter will have the right nose to be a movie star |
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