Can liquid hydrogen become both the fuel and the cooling system for future electric aircraft?

This is exactly what ARCTIC (Advanced Reliable Cryogenic power module Tested for aircraft Inverter Circuit) aims to explore, addressing one of the key challenges of future fully electric hydrogen fuel cell aircraft: highly efficient cryogenic power electronics. By leveraging liquid hydrogen not only as fuel but also as a cooling medium, ARCTIC aims to develop and validate cryogenic GaN power modules for aircraft propulsion systems. 

Over the next two years, the consortium will work on: 

• Cryogenic GaN power modules for electric aircraft propulsion
• Ultra-high efficiency power conversion targeting ≥99% inverter efficiency
• Reliability and lifetime testing under aerospace conditions
• Integration into future 2 MW hydrogen-electric propulsion systems

Starting in November 2026, ARCTIC brings together 14 partners from across Europe and beyond, including Airbus, Collins Aerospace, STMicroelectronics, VisIC Technologies Ltd., IRT Saint Exupéry, NLR - Netherlands Aerospace Centre, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), University of Nottingham, University of Bath, University of Auckland, University of Twente, HPDrive Technologies and Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft / Fraunhofer IMWS & Fraunhofer IISB with Christian Bentheimer and his team.

We're excited to kick off ARCTIC with our partners and pave the way towards safe, lightweight and efficient hydrogen-electric aircraft!