28 February, 2018
SOURCE: FlightGlobal.com
By Stephen Trimble | Las Vegas
"MD Helicopters (MDHI) has delayed certification for the 2.5t MD6XX civil helicopter at least two years to focus the small manufacturer's resources on delivering a surge of orders from military customers, says chief executive Lynn Tilton.
The delay comes only a year after Tilton unveiled a mock-up of the MD6XX and promised to complete certification by the end of 2018.
That timeline became unachievable as MDHI copes with new orders by at least three foreign militaries for the armed version of the MD530 light-single. The Mesa, Arizona-based manufacturer is expected to deliver 30 helicopters by the end of this year, including the first five by the end of May, Tilton says.
Additional orders by Kenya and Lebanon have added to the backlog for the MD530, but require additional certifications that have consumed the engineering department, Tilton says.
"We just didn't have the resources" to make progress on the MD6XX, she says. "We're not stopping it. We’re excited about it, but in the end I just couldn't do it all. . . "
READ MORE > Flight Global
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