Systems and methods include providing an aircraft with a ducted rotor assembly. The ducted rotor assembly includes a housing having a duct, a rotor drive mechanism coupled to a rotor system, and a plurality of stators that both structurally support the rotor drive mechanism within the duct of the housing and carry a fluid through internal fluid passages in the plurality of stators to provide cooling to the rotor drive mechanism. Some of the stators carry fluid to the rotor drive mechanism, where the fluid absorbs heat from the rotor drive mechanism, and some of the stators carry fluid away from the rotor drive mechanism. The rotor system generates an airflow over the stators carrying fluid away from the rotor drive mechanism to effect transfer between the fluid and the airflow.