Imagine redesigning a plane's body to hold hydrogen fuel instead of traditional jet fuel. Since hydrogen is tricky to store, it requires special tanks and new safety structures to prevent leaks or fires during a crash. This work creates the 'skeleton' and layout needed to make these green planes safe and efficient.
Current aircraft airframes are not designed to safely store or distribute hydrogen, which has different physical properties than kerosene. This creates a barrier to achieving climate-neutral flight for medium-range commercial aviation.
A set of weight-optimized fittings for hydrogen tanks, energy-absorbing crash structures for fire management, and structural health monitoring sensors.
If you are an airframe manufacturer dealing with the shift to carbon-neutral fuels — this project developed weight-optimized fittings and crash structures for hydrogen tanks that ensure safety for 150-250 passengers.
If you are a safety systems provider dealing with hydrogen leak risks — this project developed structural health monitoring sensors and energy-absorbing crash structures to manage fire and leaks.
If you are an aircraft designer dealing with the need for 1000-2000nm range green flights — this project developed an integrated fuselage architecture that optimizes space for hydrogen fuel cells and direct burn systems.
Based on available project data, specific unit costs for the technology are not provided, though the EU contributed EUR 23,322,380 to the research and development phase.
The project aims to reach a maturity of TRL3/4 by the end of 2025, meaning it is currently in the validation and laboratory testing phase rather than full industrial scale.
Based on available project data, specific licensing terms are not mentioned, but the project is coordinated by Airbus Operations GmbH with a consortium of 36 partners.
The project targets TRL6 by 2030, with a planned entry-into-service for the aircraft in 2035.
It requires a reconsideration of typical configurations, specifically focusing on the non-pressurized fuselage, rear fuselage, and empennage to accommodate hydrogen tanks.
The project is heavily industry-driven, with 20 industrial partners (56% ratio) including the coordinator, Airbus Operations GmbH. The collaboration is broad, involving 36 partners across 9 European countries, blending the scale of enterprises with the agility of 6 SMEs and the research capabilities of 16 academic/research institutions.
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