FIELDED FLEET UPGRADES

We are committed to performance.

MORE POWER.
INCREASED UTILITY.
IMPROVED PERFORMANCE.

Super X Upgrades AVAILABLE NOW

Improve your hot and high performance, increase your internal/external MGW by 350 pounds and useful load by 200 pounds with the MD 500E to 530F conversion. This upgrade converts your 500E to a 530FF by adding longer blades top and rear, a tail rotor gearbox extension, a modified tailboom, new vertical and horizontal stabilizers, and replacing your C20 engine with a 650 shp Rolls Royce 250-C30 engine.

Additional Options Include: 

  • Fully Integrated Avionics Panel (Glass Cockpit)
  • Single or Dual HEC Hooks with E89 Weighing System
  • Mid-Continent MD-23 Flex Doorpost Gauges
  • Customized Mission-Specific Suite Upgrades

This upgrade can be installed at either MD’s headquarters in Mesa, AZ, or at select MD Authorized Service Centers. Please see the Fielded Fleet Upgrades brochure for more information about the installation centers, pricing, and availability.

The Super D20B upgrade package delivers enhanced performance through key structural and aerodynamic enhancements—all while retaining the proven 250-C20B engine.

Upgrade highlights include:

  • Extended main and tail rotor blades

  • Tail rotor gearbox extension

  • Modified tailboom

  • New vertical and horizontal stabilizers

Optional mission-specific enhancements:

  • Fully integrated glass cockpit avionics

  • Single or dual HEC hooks with E89 weighing system

  • Mid-Continent MD-23 Flex doorpost gauges

  • Custom mission-specific equipment suites

Order Now!

MD Helicopters and all MD Authorized Service Centers are now accepting orders for Super D20B upgrade kits. 
Secure your place in the queue—contact MD or your local Authorized Service Center today.

The Super D20R upgrade package delivers enhanced performance through key structural and aerodynamic enhancements, paired with the increased power of the Rolls-Royce 250-C20R engine.

Upgrade highlights include:

  • Extended main and tail rotor blades
  • Tail rotor gearbox extension
  • Modified tailboom with updated empennage
  • Redesigned vertical and horizontal stabilizers

Optional mission-specific enhancements:

  • Fully integrated glass cockpit avionics
  • Single or dual HEC hooks with E89 weighing system
  • Mid-Continent MD-23 Flex doorpost gauges
  • Custom mission-specific equipment suites

MD Helicopters and all MD Authorized Service Centers are now accepting orders for Super D20R upgrade kits. 

Love your 500N but need better hot-and-high performance?
Upgrade to a 650 shp Rolls-Royce 250-C30 engine with an inlet barrier filter and unlock the power your mission demands.

STC development is currently underway, with its release scheduled for the second half of 2025. This upgrade will be available at select MD Authorized Service Centers worldwide. Please see the Fielded Fleet Upgrades brochure for more information about the installation centers, pricing, and availability.

Interested in an upgrade? Contact our Authorized Service Centers.

coming soon

Conceptualized many years ago but never released, MD plans to release three different upgrades for the 500D family of aircraft in late 2025. Broadly referred to as the “Super D” family of upgrades, all three upgrades involve adding longer blades top and rear, a tail rotor gearbox extension, a modified tailboom, and new vertical and horizontal stabilizers.

Two of the three configurations will allow the aircraft to retain its smaller, lighter M/R gearbox and its 250-C20B or 250-C20R engine, while the third configuration will include replacing the 250-C20 engine with a 650 shp Rolls Royce 250-C30 engine.

If desired, these upgrades can be performed in steps – with the blades and aft section upgrade coming first, followed by the C30 engine upgrade later.

All three variants will yield significant improvements to MGW, useful load, and hover performance. Please see the Fielded Fleet Upgrades brochure for more information about the installation centers, pricing, and availability.

While the Super D20B STC has been approved by the FAA, the Super D20R and Super D30 will be coming soon.

Click here to learn more about the Super D Upgrades.

If an E to F Conversion is not for you, we have added another option to enhance your MD500 E’s performance. The Super E upgrade will increase internal and external MGW and useful load by 300+ and 150+ pounds, respectively, and improve hover performance.

Changes to the aircraft involve adding longer blades top and rear, a tail rotor gearbox extension, a modified tailboom, and new vertical and horizontal stabilizers, but the aircraft retains its D-model M/R gearbox and its lighter-weight, 250-C20B engine.

This upgrade will be available at MD Authorized Service Centers around the globe. Please see the Fielded Fleet Upgrades brochure for more information about the installation centers, pricing, and availability.

Designed for Operators

“These upgrades were created to meet real-world mission demands, giving MD operators worldwide the performance and utility they need to do more with the aircraft they have.”