Airbus Helicopters and BHIC signs JV agreement for Simulation Center in Malaysia

Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation Berhad (BHIC) signed an agreement today to acquire a 30 percent share in the Airbus Helicopters Simulation Center in Malaysia. This joint venture agreement was signed by BHIC Chairman YBhg Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Lodin Wok Kamaruddin and Philippe Monteux, Airbus Helicopters Senior Vice President for South East Asia & Pacific region, in the presence of Malaysian Defence Minister Y.B. Dato’ Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.

The simulation facility – operated by Airbus Helicopters Malaysia since January 2013, and located at the Malaysia International Aerospace Center – houses a full-flight simulator for the H225 and H225M helicopter types, which are 11-ton-category civilian and military twin-engine aircraft in the Super Puma family. The training site was set up as part of Airbus Helicopters’ contract to provide 12 H225M rotorcraft (formerly known as the EC725) to the Royal Malaysian Air Force.

In addition to Royal Malaysian Air Force pilots, the simulation center also offers training to H225/H225M pilots and crews from customers in the military, paramilitary and civil sectors throughout the Asia/Pacific region, and has received trainees from such countries as Australia, South Korea, Taiwan, Oman, Japan and Thailand during the past two years.

The Airbus Helicopters Simulation Center successfully trained some 200 pilots and logged 1,940 hours with the full-flight simulator during its first year of operation. This activity increased by over 40 percent in 2014 to deliver 2,782 simulator hours, training approximately 300 pilots.