MD Helicopters MD 600
| MD 600N | |
|---|---|
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| A Skyheli MD 600N with NOTAR | |
| Role | Light utility helicopter |
| Manufacturer | McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems MD Helicopters, Inc. |
| First flight | November 22, 1994 |
| Status | Active In production |
| Primary user | United States Border Patrol |
| Produced | 1995–Present |
| Developed from | MD Helicopters MD 500 |
The MD Helicopters MD 600N is a light utility civilian helicopter designed in the United States. It is a stretched eight-seat development of the five-seat MD 520N helicopter.
Design and development
McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems (MD Helicopters since 1999) first announced it was developing a stretched MD 520N in late 1994, at that time designated the MD 630N.[1] The prototype, a modified MD 530F, had made its first flight on November 22, 1994. McDonnell Douglas gave the go-ahead for the production aircraft, redesignated the MD 600N, in March 1995.
McDonnell Douglas stretched the MD 520N fuselage by inserting a plug aft of the cockpit/cabin bulkhead and stretching the NOTAR tail boom. The larger fuselage allows for an extra (middle) row of seats. Other differences compared with the MD 520N include a new six blade main rotor (the MD 520N has a five blade unit) and a more powerful Allison (now Rolls-Royce) Model 250 turboshaft.
The prototype was modified to MD 600N standard with a production standard engine and tail boom and flew in November 1995, followed the next month by the first MD 600N production prototype.[1] Certification was awarded on May 15, 1997, and deliveries began that June.
Following the 1997 Boeing/McDonnell Douglas' merger, Boeing sold the former MD civil helicopter lines to Netherlands-based RDM Holdings in early 1999.[1]
Operators
- United States Border Patrol (retired)[5]
Specifications (MD 600N)
Data from The International Directory of Civil Aircraft, 2003–2004[1]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1–2
- Capacity: 8 total
- Length: 35 ft 5 in (11.79 m)
- Rotor diameter: 27 ft 6 in (8.38 m)
- Height: 8 ft 9 in (2.65 m)
- Disc area: 594.0 sq ft (55.2 m²)
- Empty weight: 2,100 lb (952 kg)
- Max. takeoff weight: 4,100 lb (1,860 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Allison Model 250-C47 Turboshaft, 600 hp (447 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 152 knots (175 mph, 282 km/h)
- Cruise speed: 135 knots (155 mph, 250 km/h)
- Range: 357 nmi (411 mi, 661 km)
- Service ceiling: 18,700 ft (5700 m)
- Rate of climb: 2070 ft/min (10.5 m/s)
See also
- Related development
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
- Related lists
References
- 1 2 3 4 Frawley, Gerard: The International Directory of Civil Aircraft, 2003–2004, page 156. Aerospace Publications Pty Ltd, 2003. ISBN 1-875671-58-7.
- ↑ http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2013/02/12/6-injured-in-nganj-copter-crash
- ↑ "Moderno helicóptero policial fue presentado por Seguridad Pública". La Nacion.
- ↑ "MD Helicopters Proudly Presents Aircraft to Turkish National Police". helitorque.com. Retrieved 21 February 2013. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ "US Customs & Border Protection puts MD600 fleet into desert storage". helihub.com. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
External links
Media related to MD Helicopters MD 600 at Wikimedia Commons