Kawasaki to bring H145 multi-pilot VR training to Asia Pacific

Kawasaki Heavy Industries will become the first organization in Asia Pacific (APAC) to adopt Loft Dynamics’ H145 Multi-Pilot VR Simulator, with the system due to be installed at the company’s Training Center in Gifu, Japan.

The agreement, announced on 20 August, extends early adoption of the simulator from Europe to the APAC region just weeks after its commercial launch. Kawasaki has been involved in the development, manufacture, and support of the Airbus BK117/H145 family for nearly five decades and provides Airbus Helicopters-approved H145 training in Japan and the wider region.

The simulator will support initial type ratings, instrument, and recurrent training, multi-crew cooperation, and checking for operators in emergency medical services (EMS), law enforcement, disaster response, and other mission-critical roles.

“Kawasaki has long been a central industrial and training force in the H145 program in Asia,” said Sebastien Borel, CEO of Loft Dynamics. “Its decision to deploy our H145 Multi-Pilot VR Simulator marks an important step in bringing aircraft-specific, multi-crew VR training to Asia Pacific.”

Kawasaki’s Hitoshi Kawaguchi said the system would “significantly expand” the center’s training capability, adding that immersive multi-crew training combined with original equipment manufacturer aircraft data would give crews more opportunities to practice complex missions and aircraft procedures.

Developed with Airbus Helicopters, the simulator uses aircraft flight dynamics, systems data, and software supplied by the manufacturer. Its six-degrees-of-freedom motion platform, full-scale virtual cockpit, and 360-degree visual system are designed to enable crews to practice normal, abnormal, and emergency scenarios without using an aircraft.