Bölkow

Bölkow was a German aerospace company established in the postwar period by engineer Ludwig Bölkow. The firm specialized in the design and manufacture of light aircraft and helicopters and played a significant role in the development of West German aviation during the 1950s and 1960s. The best-known product associated with Bölkow is the Bo 105 helicopter, a light, twin-engine rotorcraft widely used in civilian and military applications.

In 1968 Bölkow merged with Messerschmitt AG and Blohm + Voss to form Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB), a major European aerospace group. Under the MBB umbrella, the Bölkow lineage contributed to a variety of helicopter and fixed-wing programs and participated in broader European aviation projects. The merger helped consolidate West Germany’s postwar aviation industry and positioned the resulting company to compete in international markets.

In the subsequent decades, MBB became part of Deutsche Aerospace (DASA), and DASA later evolved into what is now part of Airbus Group (EADS and its successors). The Bölkow name remained primarily a historical reference within the MBB era and is often cited in discussions of Germany’s postwar aerospace consolidation.

Ludwig Bölkow, as founder and leading figure, is recognized as a key contributor to German aerospace engineering in the mid-20th century. The Bölkow legacy thus encompasses a notable chapter in the development of modern European aviation, especially in helicopter technology.