Safety & certification

Built to be certified.

Hydrogen engines will only fly if regulators can approve them. We build the evidence for that from the first test, not after.

The standards we work to

Aerospace standards, from day one.

StandardWhat it coversHow we use it
ARP4754ADevelopment of aircraft and systemsRequirements, traceability and development assurance from day one
ARP4761Safety assessmentHazard analysis and safety assessments for every test system
DO-160Environmental conditions and testingQualification approach for equipment
DO-178CAirborne softwareApplies to engine-control software
14 CFR Part 33US engine type certificationOur target pathway, with special conditions for hydrogen

We plan our pathway with the FAA, and with EASA for international operation.

Hydrogen safety program

Hydrogen is safe when it's handled with discipline. Our program includes:

Procedures before hardware

Written safety procedures are approved before any equipment arrives.

Detection and ventilation

Leak detection, ventilation and access control in every hydrogen area.

Emergency shutdown

Automatic shutdown paths on every test system.

Independent safety systems

Safety functions run independently of control systems and of any software, including AI.

Hazard analysis for every test

No new test runs without a reviewed hazard analysis and test-readiness review.

Trained people

Everyone in a hydrogen area is trained and qualified for it.

Evidence from the first test

Every phase ends with an evidence pack.

Requirements, test setups, data, analysis and decisions, linked together and traceable. It's the record a regulator or partner can review.

  1. Requirements
  2. Test setups
  3. Data
  4. Analysis
  5. Decisions

Where AI fits, and where it doesn’t

TEST DATA FLOWS ONE WAY, FROM THE RIG TO THE PLATFORM

ColibriV Design AI helps our engineers find better designs faster. It has firm limits:

  • It is advisory. Engineers make every decision.
  • Every result it reports is confirmed by a physics solver, and the most important ones by test.
  • It never controls test equipment. Test data flows one way, from the rig to the platform.
  • Engine-control software follows DO-178C, separate from Design AI.

Talking to regulators early

We plan to engage authorities early, so the special conditions a hydrogen engine needs are shaped by evidence, not assumptions.

In 2026 the FAA issued its first special conditions (opens in a new tab) for a hydrogen-electric engine, a sign that rules for hydrogen propulsion are being written now.

Evidence first.

See the programContact our team