Unither completes first piloted hydrogen-electric helicopter circuit flight

Unither Bioélectronique (UB), a wholly owned subsidiary of United Therapeutics Corporation, is leading the development of an autonomous organ delivery airborne system designed to rapidly transport manufactured transplantable organs within a highly efficient, low-emission aviation network.

The company has completed what is believed to be the world’s first piloted hydrogen-electric helicopter circuit flight, marking another milestone in the development of zero-emission rotorcraft technology.

The flight took place in April at Roland-Désourdy Airport in Bromont, Québec, with UB test pilot Ric Webb flying a modified Robinson R44 equipped with a hydrogen-electric proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel-cell battery system powered by locally produced green hydrogen.

Conducted under an experimental flight permit, the sortie expanded the company’s testing program from hover demonstrations to a complete airport traffic circuit, including takeoff, climb, pattern flight, approach, and landing.

The achievement forms part of Project Proticity, a collaboration between UB and Robinson Helicopter Company launched in 2024 to develop hydrogen-electric variants of the Robinson R44 and R66.

“This milestone shows that piloted hydrogen-electric vertical flight can move from theory to repeatable, safe, real-world testing,” said Mikaël Cardinal, Vice President, Program Management and Business Development, Organ Delivery Systems for UB. “For Unither, the goal is clear: build the aircraft and aerial logistics systems needed to help deliver manufactured organ alternatives to patients in need.”

UB said the next phase of the program would focus on scaling the hydrogen-electric architecture to the larger Robinson R66 platform for future healthcare, emergency response, and regional logistics missions