GKN AEROSPACE, MARSHALL AND PARKER AEROSPACE TO EXPLORE LIQUID HYDROGEN FUEL SYSTEMS FOR ZERO-EMISSION AIRCRAFT

GKN Aerospace, Marshall, and Parker Aerospace are leveraging their world-leading capabilities to collaborate under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at exploring liquid hydrogen fuel system solutions for the next generation of zero-emission aircraft.

Hydrogen propulsion, whether through fuel cells or combustion, is considered a critical pathway for the aviation industry to achieve its ambitious goal of net zero emissions by 2050. This partnership marks a significant milestone in the pursuit of sustainable aviation.

The liquid hydrogen fuel system to be developed jointly by Marshall, GKN Aerospace and Parker under this MoU will be capable of supporting both hydrogen-electric and combustion applications. In developing the system, Marshall, GKN Aerospace and Parker will combine their extensive experience in the design, testing, certification and manufacture of novel fuel systems for aerospace applications.

The proposed liquid hydrogen fuel system collaboration will benefit significantly from the ongoing UK Aerospace Technology Institute funded, GKN Aerospace-led, H2GEAR programme, which will ground test a scalable hydrogen electric fuel cell propulsion system in 2025. The intent is to bring the complete scalable fuel system and propulsion system together in a single flight test bed environment before the end of the decade. At the Paris Air Show in June, GKN Aerospace signed a collaboration MoU to explore an integrated flight demonstration of the end-to-end system.

Initial studies suggest that such a system could support a wide range of aircraft, including commuter planes (under 19 passengers), business jets and regional aircraft (up to 100 passengers). The scalability of the system for larger narrow-body aircraft is currently being studied.