Leonardo Helicopters and LifeFlight Australia have revealed ground-breaking details on a new training academy with simulators and advanced training systems never seen in Australia and the Asia Pacific.

The LifeFlight-Leonardo collaboration, announced at Verticon 2026, will create the only full-suite Leonardo immersive simulation systems outside Italy through the planned LifeFlight Academy on the Gold Coast becoming a Leonardo-authorised training centre.

The LifeFlight Academy will be established as a purpose-built centre for enhanced integrated aviation, aeromedical and offshore emergency training in Australia and the Asia Pacific to prepare personnel for high-risk missions. It combines Leonardo's global leadership in helicopter and simulation technology with LifeFlight's 46 years of frontline aeromedical and rescue experience.

The academy will support pilots, aircrew, doctors, nurses, paramedics and offshore personnel training together alongside experienced instructors in high-fidelity environments replicating real-world operational conditions.

The academy's high-fidelity simulators will be the first of a kind in Australia, designed to improve operational safety and proficiency. The Modular Interactive Trainer for Helicopter Operators (MITHOS), which is an advanced immersive system for rear crew, will be the only one outside of Europe. In addition, the Leonardo full flight simulator will deliver highly realistic pilot training with maximum fidelity and avionics for the latest AW139 helicopters.

Construction is due to start this year with the Academy opening by 2028.

Leonardo Helicopters managing director Gian Piero Cutillo says: “We're pleased with the progress we made with this important project, extending the collaboration with LifeFlight beyond the delivery of advanced helicopters and technical services. Training is an essential enabler of safe, effective missions, and we're committed to supporting the crews of our helicopters to access the highest quality of service so they can maximise the benefits this technology can bring to their duties.”

LifeFlight chief executive officer Ashley van de Velde said the announcement represented a major step forward for training people for high-risk industries.

“The future of emergency response, aeromedical care and offshore operations depends not just on how we best prepare our people for complex missions, but how well we equip our aircraft,” he says. “This partnership brings together Leonardo's world-leading simulation technology and LifeFlight's real-world operational expertise to create training that is immersive, integrated and mission-ready.”

Mr van de Velde says the academy brings into fruition the original intent of the LifeFlight-Leonardo partnership. “When we announced our partnership with Leonardo in the past year, it was about building a long-term capability for the region. This training platform is at the heart of this capability, developing the people, skills and safety culture that will underpin emergency response, aeromedical care and offshore operations for decades.”

Training will be designed to align with global industry requirements for safety and emergency response competency. Besides training, the broader $250 million LifeFlight-Leonardo initiative includes aircraft, maintenance, engineering and digital technology investment in Queensland.

LifeFlight and Leonardo's relationship dates back to 2015 when LifeFlight ordered its first AW139 helicopter.