Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm

Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm
IndustryAerospace
GenreAerospace
PredecessorMesserschmitt AG and Bölkow (1968)
Hamburger Flugzeugbau (1969)
Founded1968 (1968)
Defunct1989
FateAcquired & merged
SuccessorDASA (Deutsche Aerospace AG)
Headquarters,
ProductsHelicopters and airliner components
ParentAirbus Commercial Aircraft 

Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB) was a West German aerospace manufacturer. It was formed during the late 1960s as the result of efforts to consolidate the West German aerospace industry; aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt AG merged with the civil engineering and aviation firm Bölkow in 1968, while rival aircraft manufacturer Hamburger Flugzeugbau was acquired by the company in the following year.

The company was responsible for the development and manufacture of various aircraft during its existence. Among its best-known products were the MBB Bo 105 light twin-engine helicopter and its enlarged derivative, the MBB/Kawasaki BK 117. MBB was also a key early partner on the Airbus A300, a wide-body twin-jet airliner; the company's involvement in the A300's development and production led to it forming a key component of the multinational Airbus consortium. It was also involved in numerous experimental aircraft programmes, such as the MBB Lampyridae, an aborted stealth aircraft.

The ownership and assets of MBB changed drastically throughout its roughly two decades of existence. The company was bought by Deutsche Aerospace AG (DASA) in 1989; following several mergers and restructures, the assets of what was MBB presently form a part of Airbus.