Reiser Training Tech Cuts Costs, Lead Times

Germany-based training device developer Reiser is addressing industry concerns about aircraft availability and training costs by offering digital twin technology that allows maintenance and flight training without grounding helicopters or using expensive certified parts.

The company scans aircraft and engines to create three-dimensional models down to individual components, then produces training devices using non-original parts that replicate the aircraft without the long lead times, high costs, and obsolescence issues associated with certified components, Jonas Goercke, head of business line flight training at Reiser, told AIN at Verticon.

“Customers also have often the issue that they need to ground a helicopter to do maintenance training, but they don’t have a fleet of 60 or 70 aircraft,” Goercke said. “They have a fleet of 10. If they ground two helicopters, they’re losing 20% of their fleet capacity.”

The approach has particular appeal for military customers who need every aircraft available for missions. Reiser has strong partnerships with German and French military services for NH90 helicopter training replicas and provided nine full-sized NH90 replicas to Australia approximately four years ago.

“In war times—and we’ve got a lot of conflicts—every helicopter needs to be available,” Goercke said. “This is why we’re providing 24/7 training capabilities for the ground crew, because ground crew training is most important to keep your flying aircraft flying.”

The company provides both flight training devices and maintenance training devices. Reiser’s maintenance trainers are one-to-one replicas created through complete re-engineering of helicopters down to the last screw, based on meticulously gathered data.

Strong demand for H145 and H135 training devices is driving current business, with a high volume of those helicopters in Airbus Helicopters’ production pipeline following more than 160 H145 orders last year. Training device availability lags behind the production rate, Goercke said.

Reiser’s current portfolio includes a variety of training devices. The company began a partnership with Leonardo in late 2025 for AW139 training devices.

The company’s approach allows operators to source complete training solutions from initial data gathering through full mission training, including ground school, training management systems, flight training devices, and hoist trainers developed in cooperation with DRF for safety-critical rescue scenarios.