[3] Built in 1956, and entering production in 1957, it would eventually become part of the Army inventory as a primary trainer, designated TH-55 Osage.

In May 1965, the company won the contract for a new observation helicopter for the U.S. Army, and produced the OH-6 Cayuse (Hughes Model 369).

[10][11] After suffering dismal commercial performance, the company was purchased in 2005 by Patriarch Partners, LLC, an investment fund.

[15] By March 2022, the manufacturer filed for US Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for restructuration, to be acquired by a creditor consortium led by Bardin Hill Investment Partners and MBIA Insurance, providing around $60 million of financing as debtors.

In 2023, the company closed out a long-running dispute with Aerometals over copyright and also has built closer relations with Boeing to cooperate on the AH-6 Little Bird platform, which shares a similar airframe to the MD530F.

CEO Brad Pedersen says the company is trying to support the MD902 “where it can,” but the production line for the aircraft has been dormant for 10 years, as has the supply chain for components.

In 2016, MD Helicopters had claimed it was making investments in the NOTAR technology, but Pedersen says there is no evidence of these efforts.