Aircraft & UAVs

MG-520

Also known as
  • MD-520MG Defender
  • MD 520MG
  • MD520MG
  • 520MG Defender

The MG-520, also known as the MD-520MG Defender, is a Philippine Air Force light attack helicopter derived from the MD 500E/Defender family. Its Philippine fit is documented with .50-caliber machine guns and seven-tube rocket pods, giving the 15th Strike Wing a compact close-air-support aircraft for counterinsurgency, the Zamboanga crisis, and the 2017 2017 Battle of Marawi.

MG-520, Light attack helicopter, Aircraft & UAVs
Image source: Ac30-2000x1328.jpg

Role in Conflicts

2017 Battle of Marawi
Side
Philippine government forces
Role in conflict
Close air support helicopter

Philippine Air Force MG-520 attack helicopters were used for close air support during the five-month 2017 Battle of Marawi alongside OV-10 and SF-260 aircraft.

1968 Moro Conflict
Role in conflict
Urban rocket attack helicopter

During the 2013 Zamboanga crisis, GMA News reported that two MG-520 attack helicopters dropped rockets against MNLF gunmen in Barangay Mariki.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
United States
Type
Light attack helicopter
Service note
Philippine Air Force service from 1990; documented in counterinsurgency and urban combat through the 2017 2017 Battle of Marawi
Designer
Hughes / McDonnell Douglas MD 500 family
Designed
MD 500E/Defender family developed before Philippine deliveries in 1990
Produced
Philippine MG-520 deliveries began in 1990
Number built
32 MD-520MG aircraft delivered to the Philippine Air Force, with about 20 later overhauled or upgraded

Specifications

Crew
One or two crew, depending on mission fit
Armament
.50-caliber machine guns and seven-tube rocket launchers on Philippine MD-520MG aircraft
Airframe
MD 500E/Defender-family single-engine light helicopter with five-blade main rotor
Engine
Rolls-Royce Model 250-series turboshaft; MD 500E C20B rating listed at 420 shp
Maximum Gross Weight
3,000 lb (1,361 kg) for MD 500E normal-capacity configuration
Maximum Cruise Speed
About 135 kt (155 mph / 249 km/h) for MD 500E at sea level
Maximum Range
About 235 nautical miles (270 miles / 435 km) at sea level for MD 500E
Rotor Diameter
26.40 ft (8.05 m) main rotor diameter for MD 500E
Variants

The MG-520 record covers the Philippine Air Force MD-520MG/520MG Defender, a modified 500MG Defender configuration within the MD 500 military family.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
500MG DefenderMD 500E military derivative

Family references identify the 500MG as the military version of the MD 500E, with the Philippine 520MG described as a modified 500MG.

Sources: McDonnell Douglas MD 500 Defender

Documented Armament

Philippine MD-520MG sources identify a light attack fit built around machine guns and seven-tube rocket launchers.

Carried itemItem typeCarriage evidence
12.7 mm heavy machine gun, Belt-fed, crew-served heavy machine gun class, Infantry Weapons12.7 mm heavy machine gunAircraft machine-gun class

Image provenance and family references identify Philippine MD-520MG aircraft with .50-caliber or 12.7 mm machine guns.

Sources: Ac30-2000x1328.jpg, McDonnell Douglas MD 500 Defender

2.75-inch rocket pod, Aircraft rocket pod, Munitions2.75-inch rocket podSeven-tube aircraft rocket launcher class

Image provenance and family references identify the MD-520MG rocket fit as seven-tube rocket launchers or pods; GMA reporting documents MG-520 helicopters dropping rockets during the Zamboanga crisis.

Sources: Ac30-2000x1328.jpg, McDonnell Douglas MD 500 Defender, PNP exec: Govt hoping to end Zambo clearing ops by weekend

Timeline

MG-520 Key Events

  1. First MD-520s Arrive At Sangley

    GlobalSecurity's 15th Strike Wing profile says the first four MD-520s landed at Sangley Air Base on October 1, 1990 after the AFP Weapons Board approved the MD-520MG Defender order.

    Sources: 15th Strike Wing

  2. First Air Strike Against NPA Rebels

    The same 15th Strike Wing profile says MD-520s performed their first air strike in support of government troops operating against NPA rebels in Abra.

    Sources: 15th Strike Wing

  3. Zamboanga Crisis Rocket Employment

    GMA News reported that two MG-520 attack helicopters dropped rockets against MNLF gunmen in Barangay Mariki during Zamboanga clearing operations.

    Sources: PNP exec: Govt hoping to end Zambo clearing ops by weekend

  4. Marawi Campaign Ends

    INQUIRER.net reporting after the five-month Marawi campaign placed MG-520 attack helicopters among the Philippine Air Force aircraft used for close air support.

    Sources: Air Force pilots, crew come home to heroes' welcome

Media

MG-520 Images

MG-520, Light attack helicopter, Aircraft & UAVs - view 1
Source: 15th Strike Wing MD-520MG.jpg
MG-520, Light attack helicopter, Aircraft & UAVs - view 2
Source: MD-520MG choppers in PAF.jpg
MG-520, Light attack helicopter, Aircraft & UAVs - view 3
Source: PhAF MD-520MG Helicopter.JPG
Related Weapon Systems
.30-Caliber Machine Gun, Crew-served medium machine gun, Infantry WeaponsInfantry Weapons.30-Caliber Machine GunCrew-served medium machine gunThe .30-caliber machine gun entry covers model-unspecified crew-served automatic weapons recovered from IS-linked militant contexts in Mindanao. Philippine reporting documented one gun among weapons cleared from Marawi's former Main Battle Area after the 2017 Battle of Marawi, and a later Philippine Army-sourced report listed one .30 caliber machine gun recovered after a 2022 clash with Dawlah Islamiya-Maute Group members in Maguing, Lanao del Sur. The public sources did not identify whether either weapon was a Browning M1919-family gun or another .30-caliber pattern.
OV-10 Bronco, Twin-turboprop light attack and observation aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsOV-10 BroncoTwin-turboprop light attack and observation aircraftThe OV-10 Bronco is a U.S.-designed twin-turboprop light attack and observation aircraft built around short-field counterinsurgency, forward air control, armed reconnaissance, and limited ground attack. It served with U.S. forces in Vietnam and Desert Storm, reappeared in a 2015 counter-ISIS light-attack trial, and remained useful to the Philippine Air Force at Marawi because it could deliver bombs in close support of troops fighting through dense urban terrain.

Sources

Air Force pilots, crew come home to heroes' welcomePublisher: INQUIRER.net | Note: Supports 2017 Battle of Marawi direct use: MG-520 attack helicopters were used by the Philippine Air Force for close air support during the five-month campaign. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Ac30-2000x1328.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and system background for an armed Philippine Air Force MD-520MG; file page identifies official 15th Strike Wing source, public-domain Philippine government status, .50-caliber machine guns, seven-tube rocket launchers, and 1990 delivery context. | Accessed: 2026-06-2915th Strike Wing MD-520MG.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for a Philippine Air Force MD-520MG from the 15th Strike Wing; file page lists Philippine Air Force authorship and public-domain Philippine government status. | Accessed: 2026-06-29MD-520MG choppers in PAF.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for Philippine Air Force MD-520MG helicopters with the 15th Strike Wing; file page lists Philippine Air Force authorship and public-domain Philippine government status. | Accessed: 2026-06-29PhAF MD-520MG Helicopter.JPGPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for a Philippine Air Force MD-520MG at a 2013 static display; file page lists author Roy Kabanlit and CC BY-SA 3.0 licensing. | Accessed: 2026-06-29MD 500E SpecificationsPublisher: MD Helicopters | Note: Supports MD 500E/Defender-family specifications used as baseline airframe data for the MG-520, including rotor, engine, weight, speed, range, and dimensions. | Accessed: 2026-06-29MD-520MG Upgrade Project of the Philippine Air ForcePublisher: Philippine Defense Resource | Note: Supports background on the Philippine Air Force MD-520MG fleet, 15th Strike Wing end user, overhaul program, and approximately 20 upgraded aircraft. | Accessed: 2026-06-2915th Strike WingPublisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports Philippine Air Force MD-520MG background, 15th Strike Wing equipment context, .50-caliber machine-gun and seven-tube rocket-pod armament, 1990 arrival, and 1969 Communist Insurgency in the Philippines direct use through the 1991 air strike against NPA rebels in Abra. | Accessed: 2026-06-29PNP exec: Govt hoping to end Zambo clearing ops by weekendPublisher: GMA News Online | Note: Supports 1968 Moro Conflict direct use: during the 2013 Zamboanga crisis, two MG-520 attack helicopters were used by the military to drop rockets against MNLF gunmen in Barangay Mariki. | Accessed: 2026-06-29McDonnell Douglas MD 500 DefenderPublisher: Wikipedia | Note: Starting reference for MD 500 Defender family designations, including the 500MG military version and Philippine 520MG Defender designation. | Accessed: 2026-06-29