VerdeGo Aero Awarded NASA Phase II Program
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., November 18, 2025 – VerdeGo Aero™, Inc. has achieved significant milestones in demonstrating, through analysis, the mission capability advantages of hybridizing an electrified VTOL rotorcraft under a Phase II Program contract under NASA’s SBIR Ignite program, which began in September 2024. The Phase II program builds upon a successful Phase I effort that focused on the conceptual application and integration of VerdeGo’s VH-3 piston hybrid-electric powerplant in four hybrid aircraft designs including CTOL, VTOL and STOL configurations. Throughout the Phase II effort, VerdeGo Aero has demonstrated the concept of the application of the VH-3 and VH-4T turbine hybrid-electric powerplant in a novel high-speed advanced helicopter design based on the Hummingbird 300L and nicknamed “Speedbird.”
“VerdeGo Aero is pleased to collaborate with NASA on a hybrid-electric aircraft design program. The effort, aimed at accelerating the maturation process of our hybrid-electric powerplants, has demonstrated the performance advantages of hybrid power in a specific winged eVTOL rotorcraft. By leveraging an adaptation of an existing airframe design, this initiative has allowed us to showcase the performance advantages of our technology in an industry-neutral concept, significantly advancing research and development efforts while minimizing cost”, said Eric Bartsch, CEO of VerdeGo Aero. “The Speedbird concept combines several potential benefits of hybridization showing how payload, range, speed, and efficiency can all benefit from a hybrid-electric powertrain.”
Riccardo Roiati, VerdeGo Aero’s Principal Investigator for the project, added, “The Speedbird program aims to demonstrate the advantages of hybrid-electric powerplants combined with Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) that can be applied across a range of future commercial aircraft platforms. The hybrid-electric powertrain enables greater safety, redundancy, and operational efficiency unlocking new mission capabilities not otherwise possible with conventional or fully electric alternatives. Speedbird incorporates four wing-mounted DEP propellers with variable and reversible pitch, providing anti-torque and forward thrust capability even in the event of multiple propellers failure – eliminating the single point of failure found in traditional helicopter rotors with a single tail rotor. A fixed wing and v-tail allow Speedbird to operate similarly to an airplane in forward flight, offloading the main rotor while forward thrust is provided by the DEP pods. The use of an electric motor to drive the rotor enables slowed-rotor operation, reducing in-flight power demand and allowing Speedbird to achieve cruise speeds faster than a conventional helicopter.” The combination of a VerdeGo hybrid powerplant with a supplemental battery delivers redundancy comparable to a twin-engine helicopter despite being a single engine aircraft. The redundant design of the high-voltage bus maintains power continuity in the event of a system fault, enabling powered emergency landings or assisted autorotation.
While the Speedbird concept has been designed around an airframe that could be built, the primary objective of this effort has been to demonstrate the advantages of hybrid-electric, DEP, and slowed-rotor technologies prior to physical development. A key aera of study of the NASA Phase II effort is in the HV bus architecture. Understanding how to design redundant bus architectures is critical to enabling increased levels of safety in next-generation hybrid -electric aircraft. During the Phase II program, VerdeGo Aero has performed the preliminary design of the Speedbird demonstrator aircraft with both a VH-3 and a VH-4T powered hybrid-electric powertrain. VerdeGo built a Speedbird flight simulator platform to conduct pilot- and hardware-in-the-loop testing to demonstrate the VH-3 and VH-4T performance and capability across relevant mission profiles. VerdeGo Aero’s VH-4T turbine hybrid powerplant is a high-performance, reliable solution for aircraft that require high power density to enable extended range and endurance. VerdeGo has already tested representative mission profiles, testing power to the rotor and DEP pods.
VerdeGo Aero is working with multiple eVTOL airframe developers to integrate the VH-4T into their aircraft, with flight tests planned to begin in the latter half of 2026 in both manned and unmanned applications. “With the maturity of the VH-4T turbine hybrid-electric powerplant, the next logical step was to showcase an aircraft application that demonstrates the tremendous capability of hybrid-electric technology. VerdeGo Aero believes Speedbird is an ideal platform that will deliver value for NASA and other interested parties while complementing the other customer applications under development in parallel,” said Dave Spitzer, VerdeGo Aero’s Vice President of Product Development. “This was a great opportunity to extend beyond our core powerplant development mission and challenge our talented team to begin application in the modern aviation landscape.”
Part of VerdeGo Aero’s core competencies is the integration of hybrid-electric powerplants into electric aircraft designs. VerdeGo Aero’s team applies their integration expertise directly with airframers to integrate hybrid-electric powerplants into battery-electric aircraft designs. Contact VerdeGo Aero to learn how they can support your transition to hybrid-electric propulsion.
ABOUT NASA SBIR IGNITE PROGRAM
The SBIR Ignite Program is a pilot initiative for high -growth, product-oriented entrepreneurs, startups, and small businesses to use NASA as a steppingstone in their path towards commercial success. SBIR Ignite funds U.S. small businesses in their early-stage, high-risk technology development to help make them and their technologies more attractive to private sector investors, customers, and partners.
ABOUT VERDEGO AERO
VerdeGo Aero (verdegoaero.com), a frontrunner in the hybrid-electric propulsion market since its founding in 2017, is focused on developing and manufacturing powerplant solutions that give electrified aircraft revolutionary performance. VerdeGo systems have achieved TRL 7 in manned applications and achieved hundreds of hours of successful test operations. With strong support from both government and commercial programs, VerdeGo’s dual-use systems are excellent solutions for a wide variety of advanced aircraft and drones for both propulsion and electric power generation. VerdeGo Aero is based at the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Research Park in Daytona Beach, Florida. For more information, please visit verdegoaero.com.
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