H₂ Plane

The engineering of hydrogen aviation cannot be achieved through a simple fuel tank and turbofan engine swap from a traditional plane. It requires a ground-up redesign to accommodate the unique physical properties of the fuel. The H₂-Lifting Body replaces traditional architectures with an integrated trapezoid lifting body where every component performs a structural and propulsive role. By choosing a 50 bar pressure at 80 K, the design achieves an optimal balance between weight penalties, structural stiffness, and simplified aviation safety regulations.

The structural foundation is a trapezoidal pressure vessel constructed from a PEEK and carbon fiber matrix. The top of the vessel features a shallow-arched surface that serves as the cabin floor, allowing the skin to carry internal pressure as hoop stress. The cabin is positioned at the top of this pedestal to ensure safety and structural integration. The hydrogen tank extends to the flat belly, providing a rigid pneumatic beam that supports the entire airframe. This configuration eliminates the need for a separate heavy skeleton or internal supports.

The propulsion system is a nozzle-less, turbopump-less, air-augmented rocket architecture. Utilizing the 50 bar internal tank pressure, supercritical hydrogen and subcooled liquid oxygen are fed directly into the combustion zone. This avoids the mass of turbomachinery found in conventional H₂ systems. A 5-meter belly duct ingests boundary layer air, leveraging the expansion of high-pressure hydrogen to entrain mass and generate thrust. This design allows the use of lower hydrogen densities (18.6 kg/m³) while remaining highly competitive with hydrocarbon-powered aircraft.

Technical specifications focus on mass efficiency and aerodynamic performance. The maximum take-off weight is 51,360 kg. The hydrogen reservoir contains 1860 kg of fuel, while a cascaded subcooled liquid oxygen tank at the bottom of the vessel holds 11,500 kg of oxygen. This provides a transcontinental range of 4200 to 4500 km at a cruise altitude of 15,000 meters and a speed of Mach 0.92. The low hydrogen requirement reduces fuel costs and infrastructure complexity compared to liquid hydrogen designs.

Aerodynamics are optimized through a tandem bi-plane wing configuration with no vertical stabilizer or rudder at the tail. Instead, vertical box supports on each wing set double as structural reinforcements and rudders. This tailless profile reduces wetted area and eliminates dead weight. The lower wings are an extension of the flat belly to maximize lift, while the upper wings attach at the cabin-tank junction to utilize the structural rigidity of the 50 bar vessel. This integration makes the aircraft lean, balanced, and highly aerodynamic.

The VTOL phase utilizes a ground-integrated launch pad support system that provides hot air pneumatic assist during lift-off. This support reduces the initial thrust requirement and the take off propellant consumption. To further optimize mass, the traditional landing gear is eliminated and replaced by the VTOL thrusters. Conventional gear represents a permanent mass penalty, whereas the propulsion hardware for VTOL is lighter and the consumed propellant results in zero dead weight for the cruise and landing phases. The aerodynamic profile achieves a high lift-to-drag ratio and lower stall speeds compared to standard commercial aircraft. These characteristics lower the energy penalty associated with the VTOL-to-horizontal transition.

The airframe is capable of longitudinal scaling to increase range. The tandem wing configuration allows for a longer fuselage than traditional aircraft because lift is generated at two distinct points along the body, which manages the center of pressure more effectively. By extending the peek and carbon fiber tank structure between the wings, the fuel volume can be increased without disrupting the aerodynamic balance or the 50 bar structural logic of the pneumatic beam.