ICARO — single- and two-seat electric eVTOL

The project

Flying light, with what the market already offers

Electric, vertical take-off

Four rotor units, each with two coaxial propellers and two motors: eight independent electric motors, with a redundancy no helicopter has. No tail rotor, no mechanical transmission.

Off-the-shelf components

Motors, batteries, controllers, autopilot and ballistic parachute chosen from established suppliers' catalogues and integrated on an airframe designed in Italy. Less development from scratch, more reliability, predictable timing.

Sport recreational flying

ICARO is born in the ultralight category: single-seater up to 300 kg and two-seater up to 600 kg at take-off. An aircraft to fly, not a flying taxi: no passenger-transport promise.

The chosen design

A carbon bubble, four rings, eight motors

The airframe is a carbon-fibre monocoque with a glazed bubble cockpit and a load-bearing spine from which the four arms extend. Each arm carries an open double-ring rotor unit: two coaxial propellers, two motors and a light guard that adds no weight to speak of.

The propellers sit above the cabin, as on a helicopter, and the four rotors are large and close to the fuselage: more thrust for the same power and a compact footprint. Skids, a ballistic parachute and dual navigation complete the design.

The two-seater is the reference model; the single-seater is its more compact derivative and opens the flight programme.

Concept renderings of the ICARO two-seater, September 2026

The cabin

Simple luxury: two seats, one display, the sky all around

Two side-by-side seats in quilted navy leather with gold stitching, five-point harnesses, a carbon centre console with the joystick, two switches and the parachute handle. One single curved display in front of the pilots: altitude, speed, battery, map. Nothing else.

The windshield is in two panes, split by the central carbon pillar that rises into the backbone; the doors have a thin frame with a bar at elbow height, and the cabin belt line is carbon with the gold pinstripe. Inside, the same logic as outside: light, clean, no wires in sight.

Concept rendering of the cabin, top view, September 2026

ICARO — the cabin seen from above: two seats, carbon console, one display

The numbers

Preliminary design data

	Single-seater	Two-seater
Category	Ultralight, up to 300 kg	Ultralight, up to 600 kg
Propulsion	8 electric motors, 4 coaxial rotors	8 electric motors, 4 coaxial rotors
Footprint	≈ 4.0 × 4.7 m	≈ 3.9 × 4.9 m
Height	≈ 2.3 m	≈ 2.3 m
Maximum take-off mass	≈ 300 kg	≈ 495 kg
Target endurance	15–20 minutes	15–20 minutes
Structure	Carbon monocoque airframe, carbon tubular arms, double-ring rotor units
Safety	Redundancy across eight motors, ballistic parachute, dual satellite navigation

Design values, computed on catalogue components and a reference geometry. They will be verified in the study phase and with the demonstrator. The stated endurance is deliberately conservative.

Side view of the chosen design

The gallery

ICARO from every side

ICARO — front, with the founder at the controls — Front, the founder at the controls

ICARO — front, empty cabin — Front, empty cabin

ICARO — rear view from above, the four rotors — Rear from above, the four rotors

Concept renderings of the ICARO two-seater, September 2026. The final design will come from the engineering study.

The founder

The first to fly it

Bruno Farnesi, founder of Zannini Group, was a helicopter pilot in the Italian Navy. He will be the first to take ICARO into the air: the programme comes from someone who knows from the inside what taking off vertically means.

Concept images with the founder, September 2026

The programme

Four steps, from paper to sky

2027

Study and demonstrator

Architecture review with a polytechnic university, final sizing and a ground demonstrator for motors, batteries and control.

2027 – 2028

Single-seater

Construction of the single-seat prototype, ground tests, first tethered and then free flights, registration in the ultralight category.

2028 – 2029

Two-seater

The reference model: same architecture, larger airframe, eight motors, two side-by-side seats under the bubble.

from 2030

Small series

Small-series production in Italy for private pilots and flight schools, with support and catalogue spare parts.

Who flies it first

The test pilot is the founder

Bruno Farnesi, founder of Zannini Group, was a helicopter pilot in the Italian Navy. The ICARO flight programme comes from someone who spent years at the controls and knows from the inside what taking off vertically means.

How it is organised

Zannini Group LLCFamily holding · Wyoming, USA

Icaro Inc.Planned project company · Delaware, USA · raises the capital

Built in ItalyGroup operating company · design, prototypes, small series

Partners and investors

A project open to those who want to build it with us

We are looking for technology partners, component suppliers, universities and qualified investors. The full technical dossier, with bill of materials, budget and schedule, is available on request under a confidentiality agreement.

Write to info@noveltechpartner.com Novel Tech Partner