The Cleveland Police Department in Ohio has taken delivery of the first MD 500E to MD 530F conversion, carried out by Kentucky-based Thoroughbred Aviation, an MD authorised service centre. Thoroughbred is now actively conducting the same upgrade on Cleveland’s second MD 500E.

This is the first MD 500E to MD 530F conversion carried out at an MD ASC, and reflects MD Helicopters’ commitment to fleet upgrades by making it easier and less costly to upgrade their aircraft.

MD Helicopters president Ryan Weeks says: “This achievement underscores our dedication to enhancing performance and accessibility through our MD network. Thoroughbred Aviation, a premier authorised service centre, is playing a pivotal role in this effort and we are excited to expand the availability of E-to-F upgrades. Demand for such upgrades is strong, and several more performance upgrades will be certified and released throughout 2025 for the MD 500D, MD 500E and MD 520N.”

The MD Helicopters technical bulletin for the E-to-F conversion expands the availability of this upgrade across the MD network, bringing increased power and capabilities to more locations. Key benefits include more than 350lbs or a 12 per cent increase in MGW internal load, over 200lbs or a six per cent increase in MGW external load, more than 198lbs or a 12 per cent increase of internal useful load and an over 5,500ft or 92 per cent increase in HOGE. Key elements of the conversion include an engine upgrade from the Rolls Royce 250-C20B/R to the Rolls Royce 250-C30, longer main rotor and tail rotor blades, longer tail rotor driveshaft, a tail rotor gearbox extension, a tail boom modification, new vertical and horizontal stabilisers, and several new gauges.

This upgrade not only enhances the aircraft’s max gross weight capacity to 3,350lbs but also it improves cruise speed and optimises flight performance in challenging environments.