Crane manufacturer Condra Cranes has unveiled a 4 t overhead crane with a suspended helicopter fuselage which has accurately replicated helicopter motion in the hover, enabling simulated, realistic training of emergency rescue teams.

The crane is part of the University of Johannesburg’s four-storey, 3 000 m2 Rescue Centre, which was officially opened in October 2025.

The building is equipped with a plethora of specialised machinery to immerse trainees in controllable air rescue conditions of high wind, rough seas and heavy rain.

The new Rescue Centre addresses a critical gap in regional training capabilities by providing an accessible environment to train and retrain coast guard teams, oil-rig rescue teams and multiple other crews who execute land-sea emergency rescue missions.

“It is the only facility of its kind in Africa, establishing Johannesburg as the continent’s hub for advanced rescue training,” a Condra Crane spokesperson says.

The crane helps deliver an authentic, low-risk training experience at economical cost by lifting, rotating and tilting the suspended Eurocopter A365N3 helicopter fuselage above a five-metre-deep survival pool.

This allows trainees to prepare for real-world rescue conditions.

“Hundreds of hours of design work went into the integration of crane and helicopter through a complex system of electronics and control systems.”

Teams that previously had to train abroad for mandatory certification can now train closer to home at lower cost and without any need to use actual helicopters in potentially dangerous weather conditions, the company concludes.