VerdeGo Aero’s VH-4T hybrid-electric powertrains are nearing their first flights in a customer aircraft, following delivery of the units to an unnamed airframer earlier in 2026. The Florida-based company has not disclosed the aircraft model or a flight date. The 400-kW-class system is intended for hybrid aircraft requiring substantial payload and range, including designs with five or six seats.
VerdeGo is seeking additional capital to expand production capacity over the next 12 to 18 months as interest broadens, particularly in military and cargo applications. Co-founder and CEO Eric Bartsch cited potential military missions carrying payloads of about 1,000 pounds over distances of hundreds of miles.
The company’s earlier hybrid-powertrain technology has flown on aircraft since 2025, accumulating more than 460 piloted flight hours. VerdeGo reports more than 1,700 hours of total runtime, including ground testing. The company also has development agreements with the US Air Force and NASA.
Its product range includes the 185-kW VH-3, a production-intent VH-4T-415 and the VH-5 blended turbofan, aimed at high-speed vertical-take-off-and-landing aircraft and drones. The customer aircraft flights would provide an evaluation of the VH-4T in an airframer’s integration, but no details of the aircraft’s intended mission have been released.