UAE launches world first military rescue training center

Sahra Group plans to build a new AED 180 million ($50 million) Security and Rescue Training Center in the United Arab Emirates, a project the company says will be the first commercial facility of its kind when it opens in the first half of 2028.

Developed in partnership with Austria’s AMST Group, the center is intended to serve as a regional training hub for international militaries, special operations units, helicopter emergency medical services, police, and civil rescue organizations. The project is aimed at preparing crews and responders for high-risk missions that are difficult or unsafe to replicate using live aircraft and vessels.

The new complex will focus heavily on helicopter-based rescue and insertion training. Plans call for helicopter simulators suspended on cranes to recreate the movement, sound, and vibration of aircraft in flight, allowing crews to rehearse hoist rescues, fast-rope insertions, rappelling, and emergency extraction drills in a controlled setting.

The facility will also include Helicopter Underwater Egress Trainers, known as HUET systems, which are used to train aircrews and passengers to escape from a submerged aircraft. Maritime vessel simulators and a dedicated rescue pool will support water extraction and emergency egress drills designed to mirror real-world rescue missions.

Training environments will be built to reproduce the pressure crews face during actual operations, including darkness, rotor wash, and high noise levels. Those conditions are common in military rescue, offshore energy support, medical evacuation, and special operations missions.

Sahra Group said the site will be able to train as many as 4,500 personnel each year. That includes Army, Navy, Special Forces, Civil Defense, Police, Coast Guard, medical services, and fire services, along with commercial users in the tourism, oil, gas, and energy sectors.

Jamal Alkaf, chief executive officer of Sahra Group, said the project is intended to position the UAE as a global center for mission-critical training.

“This facility represents a significant investment in the future of mission-critical training and positions the UAE at the forefront of global capability development, especially for defense,” Alkaf said. “As the first facility of its kind, it brings together advanced simulation, integrated environments, and full-spectrum training in a way that simply does not exist today.”

He added that the center is being built as a platform that can expand over time through new technologies and international partnerships.

Sahra Group said using real helicopters for such training can cost up to $10,000 per hour once fuel, aircraft hire, and operating costs are included. By contrast, the simulation systems planned for the center are expected to run at a fraction of that cost while sharply reducing emissions.

AMST Group, which specializes in aircrew simulation and mission training systems, will provide the technical backbone for the project.

“In every rescue, operation or critical response, the margin for error is measured in seconds – and in lives,” said Wolfgang Lindlbauer, Senior Business Development Manager at AMST Group. “This new facility will eliminate uncertainty by recreating the most demanding real-world conditions in a controlled, repeatable environment.”

The center is also expected to support military and law enforcement missions beyond rescue work. Fast vessel simulators and rope insertion towers point to a role in counter-terrorism drills, maritime boarding exercises, and special operations training.

Construction work and program development are already underway, with the official opening scheduled for the first half of 2028.