Loft Dynamics Launches H145 Multi-Pilot VR Simulator
Loft Dynamics has unveiled a new multi-pilot virtual reality simulator for the Airbus H145 at this year’s Farnborough International Airshow, opening the system to operators and training organisations worldwide.
The simulator is now commercially available and is designed to allow pilots and crew to train together in a shared virtual reality environment. It supports training across normal operations as well as abnormal and emergency procedures, allowing multiple crew members to rehearse scenarios together in the same simulated aircraft environment.
Loft Dynamics said the system was developed in collaboration with Airbus Helicopters and incorporates flight dynamics, system data and software provided directly by Airbus. The company added that Airbus pilots tested the simulator during development.
The launch was accompanied by an early commitment from special missions provider Babcock France, which signed a letter of intent at the airshow to deploy an H145 VR simulator at one of its facilities.
Babcock France said it plans to use the simulator across its training programme, with an emphasis on mission rehearsal. The company also intends to use it for specialist helicopter emergency medical services, or HEMS, training and search and rescue, or SAR, operations.
The company further plans to make simulator capacity available to operators across France and neighbouring countries, extending access beyond its own internal training use.
Loft Dynamics said the new system is intended to support crew-based training for operators flying the H145, which is used in a wide range of demanding missions. The company said the simulator is meant to make aircraft-specific multi-crew training part of regular proficiency building rather than a one-off exercise.
Sebastien Borel, chief executive of Loft Dynamics, said the H145 supports a large global community that carries out some of aviation’s most demanding missions. He said operators had not previously had a way to train entire crews together in virtual reality.
He said the H145 Multi-Pilot VR Simulator changes that by making realistic, aircraft-specific multi-crew training accessible enough to become a regular part of how pilots and crews build proficiency. He also said Babcock France’s early commitment carried real weight because it showed immersive VR was moving beyond an emerging training option and becoming infrastructure that major operators can build into long-term H145 training strategies.
Pierre Basquin, chief executive of aviation and chief executive of Babcock France, said the simulator would greatly improve the company’s training capabilities. He said it would allow more frequent, realistic and joint training for pilots and technical crewmembers.
Basquin added that the system would strengthen mission readiness, support the strictest standards of safety and performance, and expand access to advanced H145 training for operators across France and the region.
The announcement places the simulator at the centre of Loft Dynamics’ efforts to widen the use of virtual reality in helicopter training while preserving the focus on aircraft-specific instruction. By combining Airbus-provided flight and systems data with a multi-pilot training environment, the company is positioning the H145 simulator as a tool for repeated crew coordination and scenario-driven rehearsal.
For Babcock France, the planned deployment suggests the simulator will sit within a wider training programme rather than operate as a stand-alone installation. Its intended use across mission rehearsal, HEMS and SAR training points to a range of applications tied closely to real operational requirements.
The company’s plan to offer simulator access to operators in France and neighbouring markets also indicates that the facility may serve a wider training role beyond its own internal teams. That approach could make the system relevant to a larger group of H145 operators looking for shared training capacity.
Loft Dynamics said the H145 Multi-Pilot VR Simulator is now available to operators and training organisations around the world.
