| Industry | Aerospace |
|---|---|
| Founded | 20 September 2012  |
| Founder | Sébastien Bougon |
| Headquarters | , France |
| Revenue | 416,700 euro (2019) |
| Website | fr |
Flying Whales is a French aeronautic start-up developing anairship designed to be an environmentally-friendly solution for transporting heavy loads, such as wood logs or specific gear like wind-turbine blades, without ground-based infrastructure.[1]
Founded in 2012 by Sébastien Bougon, this project was initially dedicated to wood exploitation in partnership with theOffice National des Forêts (ONF), the French organization in charge of public forest management.
The French government and the regional government ofNouvelle-Aquitaine have invested €90 million in the company, which as of May 2024 had not produced an airship. Originally announced for 2020, in 2024 the company projected that the prototype would be ready in 2028.[2]
After the Canadian federal government blocked Quebec's participation in the project due to partial Chinese ownership of the company, Flying Whales organized a buyout ofAviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC)'s 25% stake in September 2021.[3]
In July 2022, the company announced that it had raised 122 million euros to finalize the development of the LCA60T. Investors in this round include theGovernment of France via the French public investment bankBpifrance, as part of the France 2030 program designed to revive the French industrial sector. The other investors are the Principality ofMonaco with the Société Nationale de Financement, as well asAir Liquide's ALIAD venture capital fund, theGroupe ADP andSociété Générale Assurances.[4]
Conceived as a means of transport to open up regions inaccessible by road, the LCA60T could become the largest active aircraft, 200 meters long and 50 meters high, according to Bougon.[5] In 2025, the company announced that Evolito would supply theaxial flux motors for the aircraft.[6]
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