Hydrogen fuel cell helicopter flies for the first time

The Canadian company Unither Bioélectronique has built a helicopter whose fuel cell drive emits water instead of exhaust gases. It recently flew for the first time. The helicopter completed a full circuit, including all its elements: takeoff, climb, circuit flight, approach, and landing.

The flight took place on April 10th at Roland-Désourdy Airport in Bromont, in the Canadian province of Québec, as the industry association Canadian Advanced Air Mobility (CAAM) only now announced. According to CAAM, it was “the world's first piloted hydrogen-electric helicopter circuit flight”. The helicopter had its first takeoff in March 2025. At that time, however, it only hovered about 2 meters above the ground for a short period.

The helicopter is a Robinson R44 from the US aviation company Robinson Helicopter, which Unither Bioélectronique has converted. Unither Bioélectronique is the Canadian subsidiary of the US biotech company United Therapeutics and focuses on the environmentally friendly transport of donor organs, for example by drone.

Electric motor from Magnix

As part of Project Proticity, Unither Bioélectronique has equipped the Robinson R44 with a fuel cell powertrain. This consists of an electric motor from the US company Magnix, a pioneer in electric aviation. The electricity is supplied by two proton-exchange membrane fuel cells. In addition, a lithium-ion battery is available for short-term power boosts when more power is needed than the fuel cells can provide.

The elongated hydrogen tank is mounted under the tail rotor boom. Two pods on the left and right of the cockpit, which look like engines, contain the cooling system.

The goal of Project Proticity, launched in the summer of 2024, is to accelerate the development of emission-free helicopters. In addition to Unither Bioélectronique, Robinson Helicopter also participated. Following the successful maiden flight of the R44, the larger R66 model is to be equipped with the fuel cell powertrain next.

The maiden flight is a milestone that has shown that hydrogen-electric flight is no longer just theory but is ready for “repeatable, safe testing under real conditions,” said Mikaël Cardinal of Unither Bioélectronique. “For Unither, the goal is clear: build the aircraft and aerial logistics systems needed to help deliver manufactured organ alternatives to patients in need, while creating a scalable zero-emission transportation network.”

(wpl)