Leonardo Helicopters and CAE Announce 2nd AW139 Level D FFS via Rotorsim Joint Venture at VERTICON 2026

Pennsylvania, USA – Leonardo Helicopters and CAE have announced at VERTICON 2026 in Atlanta the addition of a second AW139 Full Flight Simulator at Leonardo's US Training Academy in Philadelphia, expanding rotary-wing pilot training capacity across North, Central and South America.

• The new Level D AW139 FFS will enter service in 2027 and will be operated by Rotorsim — the joint venture between Leonardo and CAE — replicating the latest AW139 avionics suite and operational envelope to Level D fidelity standard.
• The device will support AW139 pilot qualification and recurrent training for operators across the Americas, reinforcing Philadelphia as a regional centre of excellence for AW139 type training. The AW139 has accumulated orders from more than 300 customers across nearly 90 countries, with over 1,500 units ordered, making it the leading intermediate twin-engine helicopter in its class globally.
• The Philadelphia facility currently operates an AW169 Full Flight Simulator and an AW609 tiltrotor simulator alongside the existing AW139 device, with all systems supported by Rotorsim. The facility uses a Roll-on/Roll-off (Ro-Ro) platform architecture to deliver flexible training solutions for operators across the region.

About Rotorsim

Rotorsim is a joint venture between Leonardo Helicopters and CAE, delivering high-fidelity helicopter full flight simulator training at Leonardo's US Training Academy in Philadelphia. Rotorsim operates AW139, AW169 and AW609 training devices at the Philadelphia facility and most recently announced the addition of a second AW139 Level D FFS entering service in 2027.

Source: Leonardo Helicopters