Airbus Helicopters’ longtime BK117/H145 series development, manufacturing and training partner becomes the first company in the region to commit to the newly released H145 Multi-Pilot VR Simulator
Extends early adoption of the H145 Multi-Pilot VR Simulator from Europe to Asia-Pacific just weeks after its commercial launch
ZURICH, Switzerland and GIFU, Japan — Aug. 20, 2026 — Loft Dynamics, the leader in virtual reality (VR) pilot training, announced that Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. (Kawasaki) will become the first organization in Asia-Pacific to adopt its newly released H145 Multi-Pilot VR Simulator, bringing immersive H145 VR training to the region for the first time.
For nearly five decades, Kawasaki has contributed to the development, manufacturing and support of the Airbus BK117/H145 family. The company also provides Airbus Helicopters-approved H145 training to operators across Japan and the wider Asia-Pacific region.
Kawasaki’s investment comes just weeks after the commercial launch of the H145 Multi-Pilot VR Simulator and extends the platform’s early adoption from Europe to Asia-Pacific.
“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. It also reflects a much larger shift: VR is changing how pilots and crews build proficiency, and it is on its way to becoming a standard part of aviation training worldwide.”
The simulator will be installed at the Kawasaki Training Center in Gifu, one of the leading H145/BK117 training centers in the world. Kawasaki will use it to support initial type ratings, instrument training, multi-crew cooperation, recurrent training and checking for operators in emergency medical services, law enforcement, disaster response and other mission-critical sectors.
“As an Airbus Helicopters-approved training center, our responsibility is to provide operators with the highest standard of H145 training available,” said Hitoshi Kawaguchi, head of the BK117/H145 Program at Kawasaki. “Loft Dynamics’ H145 Multi-Pilot VR Simulator significantly expands our ability to do just that. By combining immersive multi-crew training with OEM-provided aircraft data, we can give pilots more opportunities to build proficiency, prepare for complex missions and train using the same procedures they use in the aircraft. Adding this capability to our training center advances our long-term plans for advanced H145/BK117 training and allows us to serve more operators across Japan and the wider Asia-Pacific region.”
Developed in close collaboration with Airbus Helicopters, the H145 Multi-Pilot VR Simulator will allow pilots and crew members to rehearse normal, abnormal and emergency procedures together in a shared virtual environment. The simulator uses flight dynamics, systems data and helicopter software provided directly by Airbus Helicopters. It reproduces the aircraft’s handling and performance characteristics so crews can train according to the procedures used in flight operations.
The system combines a six-degree-of-freedom full-motion platform, a virtual full-scale cockpit and a 360-degree panoramic field of view. Kawasaki will be able to repeat demanding scenarios that would be difficult, costly or impractical to conduct in an aircraft, giving pilots and crews more opportunities to build proficiency across a range of H145 operations.
Kawasaki’s planned deployment follows Loft Dynamics’ previous simulator installation in Japan and expands the company’s support for two widely operated Airbus Helicopters platforms in the country.
About Loft Dynamics
Loft Dynamics AG is the global leader in virtual reality pilot training, and the only company with VR simulators qualified by the FAA, EASA and JCAB. Trusted by Alaska Airlines, Airbus Helicopters, the Los Angeles Police Department, and more, we serve the aviation ecosystem, including commercial airlines, eVTOLs, and diverse helicopter operators, as well as schools, OEMs, governments, and regulators. Our mission is to make high-quality, immersive pilot training more accessible, affordable and scalable than ever before. We produce full-motion VR simulators that are roughly 10 times smaller and significantly more cost-effective than legacy simulators. We also provide a connected suite of solutions that integrate our simulators worldwide, including at-home training kits, virtual instruction from the world’s top pilots and AI-driven, data-rich training intelligence. Loft Dynamics is leading a global paradigm shift in pilot training and powering the next generation of highly skilled pilots. Learn more at LoftDynamics.com.
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About Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.
Kawasaki is a technology company that is internationally recognized for developing and offering leading technologies and comprehensive solutions for the design and construction of transportation equipment, industrial plants and energy machinery, and manufactures and sells leisure products such as motorcycles. Kawasaki is also a leading aerospace manufacturer and co-developer of the BK117 series, a globally successful twin-engine multi-purpose helicopter widely used for emergency medical services, law enforcement, firefighting, disaster relief, and air transport missions around the world. Learn more at https://www.bk117.com/en/.
