The Hughes 369 / MD500 series of helicopters is one of the most recognizable helicopter types in the world. Developed as the OH-6 for the US Army’s LOH program by Howard Hughes’ design team of Ray Cooper, Clyde Jones and Harold Hirsch, the OH-6 was a unique aircraft the likes of which had not been seen before. The other bidders on the contract were Bell and Fairchild Hiller. Howard Hughes got a hold of Fairchild Hiller’s costs and submit a much lower bid to snag the contract, reportedly taking a $100m loss on the first 1400 airframes. The aircraft arrived on the battlefield in Vietnam in 1966 and was loved by pretty much everyone who came into contact with it. Although Fairchild Hiller’s FH1100 was the first turbine helicopter available for sale on the civilian market, Hughes’ demilitarized version of the OH-6, the H369C almost immediately became the preferred choice for the civilian market. In 1976, Hughes revealed the uprated Hughes 369D with a more powerful engine, new tail and a five blade rotor head. This was followed in 1982 by the 369E with again, a bigger engine, slightly refined tail, slightly redesigned cabin and a more streamlined nose.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.helisimmer.com/reviews/milviz-md530f-for-fsx-and-prepar3d/