Researchers at the University of Strathclyde’s Applied Superconductivity Laboratory have demonstrated a 100 kW fully superconducting axial‑flux motor designed for aviation use. The prototype is described as one of the first attempts worldwide to build a fully superconducting axial‑flux machine specifically for aircraft propulsion, using high‑temperature superconducting technology operated at around 20 K, close to -253 °C. The work targets the main constraint for future hydrogen‑electric and all‑electric aircraft: power density. Conventional machines face mass and thermal penalties when scaled to megawatt levels, while HTS materials can carry much higher currents than copper windings, opening the way to lighter, more compact motors if cryogenic cooling and system integration can be solved. The Strathclyde demonstrator uses rare‑earth barium copper oxide tape and combines superconducting windings, low AC‑loss design, brushless excitation and rotating cryogenic operation in a single axial‑flux architecture. The project sits within the Zero Emissions for Sustainable Transport 1 programme led by Airbus and links university‑level research to industry work on cryogenic electric propulsion. A related paper in IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity focuses on HTS armature tests, reflecting a shift from earlier studies on superconducting rotors towards more compact, aviation‑oriented architectures. Significant engineering barriers remain, particularly in cryogenic cooling, quench protection and system‑level integration with power electronics, cabling and liquid‑hydrogen storage. However, the demonstrator suggests that fully superconducting aviation motors are moving beyond theory, and that combining superconducting machines with hydrogen‑based cryogenic infrastructure may become a realistic path for future megawatt‑class aircraft propulsion.
