01
Skid riders / tactical
Pilot + operators riding the skids, doors off.
PICTURE SHIP
MD 500E
Agile light turbine helicopter for tactical, skid-rider and tight-location work
Small, fast and endlessly cinematic. The MD 500E is the tactical helicopter audiences recognize, whether skid riders are flying in formation, it's dropping into a stadium bowl or kicking up dust on a western backlot. It's agile enough for tight locations and quick to rewrap for any agency or unit your story needs.
Skid riders and doors-off
Operators on the skids or talent in the open cabin.
Two-ship formations
Formation pairs available.
Starlink-ready live downlink
Can be equipped with Starlink for a live video feed to video village, for real-time review anywhere in the world.
Seating configurations
Who rides along
02
Doors-off cabin
Pilot + talent seated in the open cabin.
03
Stock
Five-place: 2 in the cockpit + up to 3 in the cabin (manufacturer).
Performance & capacity
The numbers producers ask for
Max cruise
135kt
249 km/h at sea level (both engines)
Vne
152kt
282 km/h at sea level
Max range
290nm
537 km at 5,000 ft (250-C20B); 287 nm (531 km) (250-C20R)
Max operating altitude
16,000ft
density altitude
- Engines (XBRAND fleet)
- One aircraft with a 420-shp Rolls-Royce 250-C20B, one with a 450-shp Rolls-Royce 250-C20R
- Hover IGE / OGE (ISA +20 °C)
- 8,500 ft / 6,000 ft (250-C20B); 11,300 ft / 9,500 ft (250-C20R)
- Max rate of climb
- 1,770 ft/min, sea level, standard day
- Useful load (internal)
- 1,519 lb (689 kg) (250-C20B); 1,483 lb (673 kg) (250-C20R)
- External load
- 2,000 lb (907 kg) max hook capacity
- Seating
- Five-place: 2 cockpit + up to 3 cabin
- Doors-off
- Yes, including skid riders
- Two-ship
- Formation pairs available
- How it's filmed
- From an XBRAND camera ship, from the ground, or handheld from a doorway
Custom wraps
Custom wraps available on every airframe.
Base airframe: MD Helicopters MD 500E. Manufacturer figures from MD Helicopters. Manufacturer published specs for the stock base airframe (Rolls-Royce 250-C20B figures). XBRAND's picture-ship configuration, with doors off, skid riders, wraps and mission equipment, may perform differently.
Flown with Savage Aviation as our primary aircraft supplier.
On location
The MD 500E at work
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Ready to fly the MD 500E?
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