Atlanta, 10 March 2026 - At Verticon 2026 Leonardo and Intermountain Health, Utah's largest healthcare system and a pioneer in innovative healthcare solutions, announced a significant milestone in pilot training services with the delivery of the world’s first AW109 GrandNew Enhanced Training Device Virtual Extended Reality (ETD VxR). An established operator of Leonardo EMS helicopters, Intermountain Health currently has seven AW109 GrandNew aircraft and is Utah's only IFR EMS operator with low-level IFR infrastructure and proprietary heliport approach procedures.
The arrival of the VxR simulator signifies a crucial step toward transforming Intermountain Health's EMS helicopter flight training and safety protocols. This cutting-edge synthetic training device provides dynamic, immersive training scenarios that replicating real-life emergencies, empowering EMS professionals to sharpen their skills in a safe, controlled environment. This enhancement in training will boost their readiness, response times, and safety in critical situations, instilling confidence in their quality of care. The success of the VxR in US also keeps growing, with an order for one more AW109 GrandNew VxR system recently signed by another operator.
The ETD VxR benefits from Leonardo's unique capabilities in designing and developing simulators and mission support solutions to best meet the needs of operators. The ETD VxR technology has been designed and built with native helicopter data for the highest level of fidelity, leveraging superior design and certification capabilities and genuine flight tests to allows the future virtual and extended reality simulators and comply with FTD lev. 7 FAA requirements. The ETD VxR features a compact footprint to support single-engine (VFR and IFR) and light-twin-engine helicopters, ensuring accurate pilot's perception of the surroundings for single-pilot flight operations, improving training effectiveness and safety, and allowing the crew to train on the same mission through interconnected simulators at a cost-effective price point.
Leonardo is an international industrial group, among the main global companies in Aerospace, Defence, and Security (AD&S). With 60,000 employees worldwide, the company approaches global security through the Helicopters, Electronics, Aeronautics, Cyber & Security and Space sectors, and is a partner on the most important international programmes such as Eurofighter, JSF, NH-90, FREMM, GCAP, and Eurodrone. Leonardo has significant production capabilities in Italy, the UK, Poland, and the USA. Leonardo utilises its subsidiaries, joint ventures, and shareholdings, which include Leonardo DRS (71.4%), MBDA (25%), ATR (50% ), Hensoldt (22.8%), Telespazio (67%), Thales Alenia Space (33%), and Avio (19.3%). Listed on the Milan Stock Exchange (LDO), in 2024 Leonardo recorded new orders for €20.9 billion, with an order book of €44.2 billion and consolidated revenues of €17.8 billion. Included in the MIB ESG index, the company has also been part of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) since 2010.
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