In one embodiment, an advanced electric propulsion system comprises: a housing; an electric motor within the housing; a motor drive coupled to the motor; a thermal management system comprising: a manifold-mini-channel heat sink integrated into the housing, the manifold-mini-channel heat sink comprises: an inlet manifold having air inlets formed in front of the housing; a set of plurality of circumferentially grooved micro-channels formed in the housing and coupled to the air inlets and conductively thermally coupled to stator windings of the electric motor; an outlet manifold having an air outlets formed at a back of the housing and coupled to the set of plurality of circumferentially grooved micro-channels; wherein the electric motor comprises PEW stator windings that provide a low thermal resistance path from the stator of the electric motor to the housing; wherein the PEW stator windings comprise a high temperature tolerant thermally conductive electrical insulator.