Bölkow was a West German aircraft manufacturer based in Stuttgart, Germany, and later Ottobrunn.
History
The company was founded in 1948 by Ludwig Bölkow, who since 1955 with Emil Weiland had developed helicopters for Bölkow Entwicklungen KG.<!-- could a knowledgeable person turn these 3 paras into proper English, please!..............Bölkow had to thus up-get large development arrears and was faced with a strong competition. It tried to find a market niche in which the company could exist against the established helicopter models. Which did not give it yet, a lighter was helicopter to fly on security laid out (by twin-engine design and generally redundant interpretation of all important systems as well as a highly lying rotor), uncomplicated to maintain, and suited for rescue missions. Bölkow consistently pursued the principle of staying a step ahead of competition. That had then also shining succeeded with the helicopter Bölkow Bo 105, although the program stood several times before the attitude, because the safety package of the redundancy with the two engines had its price.
As the first helicopter worldwide the Bo 105 possessed a completely hingeless main rotor with rigid rotor head, made possible by the use of glass-fiber reinforced plastic (GRP) for the rotor blades. The Bölkow rotor was a lighter, but very sturdy rotor with good aerodynamic characteristics. Also the cell was to a large extent of GRP made and aerodynamically very favorable.
Aerospatiale in France negotiated a license for Bölkow rotor technology which was subsequently used on Gazelle. Also the today's helicopters of Eurocopter as market leaders in the world, into which the Bölkow building of helicopters is come up, are coined/ shaped of the technology developed at that time of Bölkow. On 16 February 1967 the prototype of the Bo 105 flew for the first time. At this time and before the fusion to MBB took place, Bölkow had already developed the anti- tank defense rocket "Cobra" and was also active in space technology in the area of drives. Bölkow developed and tested around 1964 also the first glass fiber ski. Beside the Derschmidt rotor for the Bo 46 Bölkow also developed an attempt system of the Heidelbergrotor with a diameter of 31 m.
-->
In June 1968, Bölkow merged with Messerschmitt to form Messerschmitt-Bölkow, a combination that created West Germany's largest aircraft company, with sales approaching $150 million (1968 dollars). The move was encouraged by the West German government. In May 1969, the new company merged with Hamburger Flugzeugbau (HFB), becoming Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB). MBB was bought by Daimler-Benz in the early 1990s, becoming part of DASA, which became part of EADS in 2000.
Products
Aircraft
thumb|right|Bölkow Bo 209 Monsun, first flight 1967
thumb|right|Bölkow Bo.208c Junior, built in 1966
- Bölkow Bo 207
- Bölkow Bo 208 Junior
- Bölkow Bo 209 Monsun
- Bölkow Phoebus, variants A, A1, B, B1, B3, C gliders
Helicopter
- Bölkow Bo 46
- Bölkow Heidelbergrotor experimental rotor system
- Bölkow Bo 70 Project with experimental "Heidelberg Rotor"
- Bölkow Bo 102
- Bölkow Bo 103
- MBB Bo 105
- MBB/Kawasaki BK 117 Joint project with Kawasaki
Missiles
- Cobra
- HOT
- MILAN
- Roland