Emirati drone developer and aerial logistics firm LODD has started the certification process for its flagship aircraft, called “Hili”, with the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Hili is an unmanned vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft capable of transporting payloads of up to 250 kg with a range of 700 kilometers (378 nm), thanks to its hybrid propulsion system.
The certification program for Hili will be supervised by the Smart and Autonomous Systems Council, an Abu Dhabi government body which acts as a steering organization for the development of autonomous mobility systems, with the UAE’s aviation authority (GCAA) acting as the certifying authority.
The process will include airworthiness compliance demonstrations, ground and flight testing, operational evaluations, and safety assessments. Its completion will represent a significant milestone for the emerging Emirati aerospace industry, with Hili expected to become the first advanced autonomous civilian aircraft fully designed, engineered, and certified domestically.
LODD’s Hili completed its first test flight in November 2025 at the Emirates Falcon Aviation facility in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi.
In this endeavor LODD is backed by major players in the Abu Dhabi aviation ecosystem, such as the Integrated Transport Centre (Abu Dhabi Mobility), the government body responsible for planning Abu Dhabi’s transportation and logistics infrastructure, and the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), which promotes the emirate as a center for business development and investment.
LODD expects Hili to have applications in healthcare, energy and industrial supply chains, in addition to being suitable for humanitarian missions.
No specific expected timeframe has been provided for the completion of the certification process and the entry into service of this new autonomous aircraft type.
“Entering formal certification demonstrates the maturity of the Hili program and moves Hili from development into the pathway towards commercial operations,”. Said Rashid Al Manai, LODD’s CEO in a press statement announcing the start of the certification process. “It brings us one step closer to delivering a UAE-developed supervised autonomous cargo aircraft system capable of transforming how critical goods are moved across the UAE, the region and globally.”