Leonardo has opened a new building at its Sesto Calende site in Italy dedicated to the development and manufacture of helicopter flight simulators. The more than 6,000-square-metre facility can accommodate up to five simulators at once and brings engineering, design, development, production, assembly, integration and testing under one roof.
The investment expands a rotary-wing industrial and technological hub that has hosted training activities since 2006, when Leonardo opened the A. Marchetti Training Academy at the site. That academy remains central to the company’s helicopter training offer and uses simulation systems to train pilots, crews, operators, ground staff and maintenance personnel.
Leonardo has positioned the site as a broader development and production centre for simulation systems across its helicopters business, supporting civil and military programmes in Italy and abroad. The first simulators built in the new facility are intended for operators in Italy and Asia, underscoring the role of Sesto Calende in both domestic and export training markets.
The building also consolidates technical and logistics support for Leonardo’s helicopter fleet at the location. With the new capacity in place, Sesto Calende now combines the full simulator lifecycle and strengthens the company’s ability to deliver advanced flight-training systems from a single site.