The Air and Marine Operations (AMO) Division of US Customs and Border Protection (US CBP), which operates one of world’s largest and most diverse airborne law enforcement fleets, has awarded a contract to Davenport Aviation to provide a Loft Dynamics H125 virtual reality (VR) flight simulator – making it the the second major US law enforcement agency, following the Los Angeles Police Department, to adopt Loft Dynamics’ VR technology.
This contract makes CBP the first branch of the Department of Homeland Security to use VR for aerial training. While the agency has previously used virtual reality for ground-based use-of-force exercises, this marks its first deployment of immersive simulation for aviation.
US CBP will install Loft Dynamics’ Airbus H125 VR flight simulator at its Oklahoma City training centre – marking the first-ever use of VR flight training by a US federal law enforcement agency. This mirrors the shift towards alternative pilot training solutions.
The AMO flies more than 240 aircraft, including over 100 Airbus H125s carrying out complex, high-risk missions ranging from drug interdiction and human trafficking prevention to disaster response and 24/7 border surveillance.
Its 600-plus pilots operate in a rapidly evolving environment with narrow error margins. Until now, their training has depended entirely on aircraft training with the attendant restrictions of aircraft and instructor availability, not to mention weather and the inherent risks of practicing emergency procedures in the air.
Commenting on the announcement, Fabi Riesen, founder and CEO of Loft Dynamics, said: “We’re excited to partner with CBP to build a VR training program that mirrors their real-world operations – down to the most complex scenarios. That might mean a night-time drug trafficking pursuit at 50 feet and 10 knots, with suspects fleeing on foot. Or an engine failure just after take-off. Pilots will rehearse those moments with precision – from their home base, safely, and on demand. Because when they’re seconds away from a life-saving decision, they shouldn’t be relying on a checkride from six months ago – they should be drawing on muscle memory built just days earlier. This is the new standard – not just for law enforcement, but for the entire aviation industry: training that’s immersive, mission-specific, endlessly repeatable, and accessible any time, anywhere. We’re proud to see another major government agency embrace that future and help lead the shift.”
Images: US CBP/Loft Dynamics
