On 25 February 1977, MBB and Kawasaki signed a cooperative agreement to abandon their independent efforts to design twin-engined general purpose helicopters in favour of a collaborative venture to development of a new rotorcraft for that role.
O 25 de febreiro de 1977 MBB e Kawasaki asinaron un acordo de cooperación para abandonar os seus esforzos independentes de deseñar helicópteros bimotores de propósito xeral en favor dunha iniciativa colaborativa para crear un novo aparello para ese rol.