MD Helicopters plans increased production

The 2025 target would include an equal split of military and commercial aircraft. At a pre-Heli Expo briefing on 6 March, the company’s Chief Executive, Brad Pedersen, confirmed plans to assemble 19 aircraft this year – rising to ‘more than 24’ in 2024. To support this ramp up in production, MD Helicopters plans to recruit 130 additional staff.

The company plans to focus on aftermarket support – ensuring the availability of spare components for the fleet of approximately 1,700 MD aircraft in service globally. It wants to increase stock levels of the 702 most-requested parts by the end of the year.

Pedersen also revealed the MD 500E to F-model conversions were in high demand, with four planned for 2023.

MD Helicopters is working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to change the conversion into a technical bulletin – allowing authorized service centers to perform the upgrade, rather than MD conducting the work at their headquarters. This process is expected to be finished by the third quarter of 2023.

For new production, the focus continues on the MD 530F, as well as its militarized equivalent, the Cayuse Warrior.

MD Helicopters recently received an order for 12 Cayuse Warrior Plus helicopters from the Nigerian Army – who previously ordered an initial batch of 24 – according to a report by AIN Online. They will be used for counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations.

MD Helicopters briefly ceased production when it declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2022. It was later purchased by an investment consortium led by MBIA Insurance, Bardin Hill and MB Global Partners in September of that year. The company recently delivered an MD 530F helicopter to Huntington Beach Police Department in February 2023.