Douglas files bankruptcy and was forced to sell at a knocked down price to McDonnell of St. Louis, which had been making handsome profits out of its F-4 Phantom, supplied to the air force in Vietnam. McDonnell-Douglas was created 28 April 1967 by merger of Douglas and McDonnell. Continued development and production of F-4 at St Louis (until 1979). On December 23,1969 received contract for F-15 Eagle air-superiority fighter, first flown July 27,1972, (first production F- 15E flown December 1986) suited to both air superiority and long-range interdiction. Evolved F/A-18 Hornet multi-mission carrier bome and land-based combat aircraft suited to fighter and attack missions (first flown November 1978, with the F/A-18E and F Super Hornet variants, first flown November 1995, placed into production by Boeing), STOVL AV-8B Harrier II and II Plus with British Aerospace for U.S. Marine Corps (first flights November 1981 and September 1992 respectively; and T-45 Goshawk naval jet trainer (first flown April 1988) from British Hawk.

Long Beach and Palmdale factories continued production of A-4 Skyhawk attack aircraft until 1979, DC-8 fourjet airliner (until the early 1970s, and in the 1980s instituted a re-engine program) and DC-9 twin-jet airliner (first tlown February 1965 and produced until the end of the 1970s, when the new designation MD-80 was adopted for developed models), and developed wide-body triple-engined DC-10 (first flown August 29,1970 and the last delivered in 1989, when replaced by the MD-11).

Purchased Hughes Helicopters January 1984, taking over that company’s range that included small helicopters and the AH-64 Apache, plus the NOTAR (no tail rotor) anti-torque system. Hughes Helicopters became McDonnell Douglas Helicopters.

Merger of McDonnell Douglas with Boeing announced in December 1996, and from August 1997 the combined company began operating as a single unit under the collective name The Boeing Company.

Boeing has sold its civil helicopter production line, formerly manufactured by McDonnell Douglas, to Dutch company MD Helicopters. The sale, coming only two years after Boeing themselves purchased the range through a merger. The sale includes the MD500, 520N, 530F and 600N models, as well as the twin-engined MD Explorer and the licence to incorporate the no tail rotor (NOTAR) system on future aircraft. Boeing does, keep the ownership of the NOTAR technology. Boeing was to continue to produce the machines, under contract to the new Dutch owners, until early 2000.