Airbus takes superconductivity research for hydrogen-powered aircraft a step further
Source: Airbus Sectional drawing of the Cryoprop demonstrator Confirmed interest in the potential of superconducting technologies for hydrogen-powered aircraft Launch of a new demonstrator with a megawatt-class superconducting motor Airbus UpNext, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Airbus, has launched a new technological demonstrator to accelerate the maturation of superconducting technologies for use in electric propulsion systems of a future hydrogen-powered aircraft. Known as Cryoprop, the new demonstrator will integrate and mature a two megawatt-class superconducting electric propulsion system cooled by liquid hydrogen via a helium recirculation loop and developed by Airbus teams in Toulouse, France, and Ottobrunn, Germany. “Our previous demonstrators have shown that superconducting technologies would be a key enabler for the high-power electrification of future hydrogen-powered aircraft. I truly [...]