Lebanon places order for six MD 530G Scout Attack Helicopters.

MD Helicopters, Inc. (MDHI) announced on October 1st receipt of the third Delivery Order issued against its 5-year, $1.4 billion light scout attack helicopter IDIQ contract. The firm, fixed-price award is for six armed MD 530G Scout Attack Helicopters to be delivered to the Lebanon Air Force (LAF), and includes initial logistics support (ILS) for the aircraft, as well as aircraft systems, ground support equipment, and associated services.

The MDHI MD 530G Scout Attack Helicopter
(Credit: MDHI)

Awarded through U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, MDHI’s new MD 530G will receive a U.S. Army Airworthiness Release (AWR) by December 2019. All MD 530G aircraft deliveries to the Lebanon Air Force will be complete by the fourth quarter of 2020.

“The Armed MD 530G Scout Attack Helicopter is a masterpiece in design and innovation,” said Lynn Tilton, Chief Executive Officer for MD Helicopters, Inc. “With advanced avionics, integrated weapons and mission management systems, and an armament suite that delivers both precision lethality and suppressive fire capabilities, we are honored to receive this order, and look forward to delivering these highly capable aircraft to the Lebanon Air Force.”  

With the award of Delivery Order 03, nearly 30% of the estimated 150 aircraft available to U.S. and Partner Nation Military Forces via the IDIQ are currently in production.

The Armed MD 530G Scout Attack Helicopter features MD Helicopters’ next-generation all-glass cockpit that includes:
- Two Genesys Aerosystems IDU-680 6” x 9” LCD primary displays
- Tek Fusion Global’s PATHFINDER™ Mission Management System (MMS) and “ARES”
- Weapons Management System (WMS) on Dual Side-Mounted Mission Displays.

In addition to this advanced, all-glass cockpit, the MD 530G Scout Attack Helicopter boasts an enhanced mission equipment package designed to meet a broad array of mission profiles, including:
- DillonAero Mission Configurable Armament System (MCAS)
- 62mm ballistic armor protection- Ballistically tolerant crashworthy fuel system, inclusive of main and auxiliary tanks
- FN Herstal .50 caliber HMP 400 Machine Gun Pods
- M260 7-shot rocket pods
- 70mm/2.75” APKWS (Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System) rockets
- WESCAM MX-10D EO/IR laser designator
- Scorpion® Helmet-mounted Cueing System from Thales

The Lebanon Air Force MD 530G helicopters will also feature the Harris Falcon III® RF-7850A-MR Multi-channel Airborne Networking Radios with Advanced Encryption Standards (AES).

MD Helicopters will work with U.S. Army Aviation Engineering (AED) to ensure all aircraft are delivered with a full U.S. Army-awarded Airworthiness Release (AWR).

“Returning MD Helicopters to its legacy position as the preferred manufacturer of light scout attack helicopters has been a gratifying journey,” Tilton concludes. “I could not be more proud to have two individual aircraft models simultaneously under contract with the U.S. Army; both with the distinction of having full, U.S. Army-issued AWRs.”