Unither Bioélectronique completes the world’s first successful test flight of a piloted hydrogen-powered helicopter

Unither Bioélectronique, Inc. (UB), a subsidiary of United Therapeutics Corporation, today announced that UB completed the first successful test flight of a piloted hydrogen-powered helicopter at its test and development facility located at Bromont Airport in Bromont, Quebec. This first test flight represents a critical step toward developing conforming designs and certification protocols for hydrogen-powered aircraft.

This historic flight represents several firsts for aviation:

- The world’s first flight demonstration of a piloted hydrogen-powered helicopter;

- Canada’s first piloted hydrogen-powered flight; and

- A successful validation of Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) hydrogen fuel cell technology, proving its capability to support the demanding power requirements of a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) powered lift profile.

The flight test took place on March 27, 2025 at Roland-Désourdy Airport in Bromont, Québec (ICAO code: CZBM), with UB’s test pilot Ric Webb at the controls. The flight was conducted under an experimental flight permit issued by Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA) for UB’s experimental Robinson R44 Raven II with registration code C-FXUB. The three minute, 16 second test flight demonstrated the hover and maneuvering capabilities of the hydrogen powertrain.

Through this test flight, Unither Bioélectronique has successfully integrated a hybrid hydrogen fuel cell/electric battery powertrain system into a VTOL demonstrator. The system combines two low-temperature PEM fuel cell stacks with a small battery pack to manage transient power demands. Approximately 90% of the energy used for the flight was derived from the helicopter’s hydrogen fuel cells.

The test flight was conducted as part of Project Proticity, a collaboration between UB and Torrance, California-based Robinson Helicopter announced in August 2024. Project Proticity aims to accelerate the development of zero-emission helicopters based on Robinson’s proven R44 and R66 helicopter models. Robinson provides its extensive engineering, technical, and regulatory expertise and UB integrates hydrogen technology and conducts testing for certification through TCCA and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.

“Our first test flight successfully demonstrated the hover and maneuver capabilities of our innovative hydrogen powertrain,” said Mikaël Cardinal, Vice President, Program Management & Business Development, Organ Delivery Systems for Unither Bioélectronique. “Our next phase of development will focus on integrating a liquid hydrogen storage system which we believe is an essential technology for enabling our extended-range missions to deliver manufactured organ alternatives to patients in need.”

“The importance of this milestone in aviation history cannot be overstated, said David Smith, President and CEO of Robinson Helicopter Company. “Project Proticity has taken an incredible first step forward in the path to long range, zero emission vertical flight. We are excited to continue developing this technology with our partners at Unither Bioélectronique.”

The flight test was also a milestone for parent company United Therapeutics’ commitment to sustainability in its operations. As part of the company’s Revolutionary Wave of growth, United Therapeutics envisions delivering an unlimited supply of manufactured organ alternatives to patients using a vertically integrated logistics chain with a lower environmental impact than conventional transportation options.

“Just as protons from hydrogen atoms drive the mitochondrial powerplants in each of our bodies’ cells, we look forward to using protons from green hydrogen to drive the membrane-based fuel cell powerplants in our Robinson R66 Organ Delivery Electric helicopters,” said Martine Rothblatt, Ph.D., Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of United Therapeutics.