MD Helicopters, Inc. has unveiled a new 2.5-tonne eight-seater single-engine concept aircraft at HAI Heli-Expo 2017 in Dallas, Texas.

Known as the MD 6XX, the aircraft was first revealed as a program in development by MD CEO Lynn Tilton at last year’s edition of Heli-Expo in March 2016, but little had been disclosed since then. Appearing at this year’s show, Tilton said the unveiling of the aircraft on MD’s booth was “a defining moment” for the company.

The company began development of the MD 6XX as a scout attack helicopter, but said it will also pursue certification of a civilian version that would likely have applications as a law enforcement or emergency medical services (EMS) aircraft ¾ and it’s in EMS configuration that the aircraft appeared at the show.

The MD 6XX follows on from the legacy of the MD 600N, but the change in name reflects the enormous differences between the aircraft.

“This is a completely new redesigned aircraft, so it may look similar [to the MD 600], but everything is different,” said Tilton. “This is start to finish a brand-new aircraft.”

Rather than featuring the company’s famous NOTAR anti-torque technology, the MD 6XX has a more traditional four-bladed tail rotor and an extended composite tail boom, which MD claimed will deliver 40 percent more anti-torque power. The use of the tail rotor is also said to provide a reduced noise signature.

Its six-bladed main rotor will utilize S411 blades from Helicopter Technology Company. The bonded blades have a three-section airfoil design, said to offer more efficient operation, a reduced noise profile, and better autorotation characteristics. Tilton said she believed the blades would provide a performance boost of about 10 percent.

In the cockpit, the 6XX will feature the Genesys Aerosystems IDU-680 avionics system ¾ the same suite planned for the MD 902 as that aircraft evolves into the MD 969. It will also have boosted flight controls for a reduced pilot workload, digital three-axis autopilot, and will be instrument flight rules capable.

The aircraft will be powered by a Rolls-Royce M250-C47E3 engine, and Tilton said it would be fly-by-wire, as well as featuring several types of new technology in development. These include a “radar cocoon” akin to the sensing capabilities provided in some automobiles for use in degraded visual environment conditions, utilizing LIDAR, radar, and camera technology; as well as the capability to deploy and recover drones.

“You can’t be in the [automotive] industry if you’re not building an autonomous vehicle,” she said. “We’ve been able to bring a lot of that technology to the aerospace industry. The cocoon technology that we’re building right now, which is an incredible safety feature, is all done with automotive technology.”

In terms of its projected performance, Tilton said the MD 6XX will have a 5,500-pound (2,500-kilogram) maximum gross takeoff weight; a 3,200-pound (1,450-kilogram) useful load; a 500 nautical mile range; a cruise speed of 140 knots with a maximum of 160 knots; and a 20,000-foot ceiling.

Tilton said the MD is aiming to have the aircraft available on the market by the end of 2018, but didn’t set a certification timeline for the civilian version.

“It’s a pretty exciting project, and we think it’s going to make people believe MD is really a new MD,” she added.