INNOVATION SPOTLIGHT - FLYING WHALES - A TRAILBLAZING SOLUTION FOR AIR CARGO
FLYING WHALES is an exciting French company headquartered in Suresnes (Hauts-de-Seine).
Created in 2012, the company is developing an ambitious and unique program thanks to its innovations and the quality of its teams and industrial consortium : the LCA60T, a rigid airship for heavy load transport with a carrying capacity of 60 tons.
Originally designed to meet the needs of logging renewable wood resources in hard to reach areas, the LCA60T's unique hovering loading and unloading characteristics will provide solutions to numerous logistical and landlocked problems around the world, with a very low environmental footprint.
This solution will allow, at low cost, to free itself from all ground constraints for the point-to-point transport of heavy or bulky loads. FLYING WHALES is also developing FLYING WHALES SERVICES, the operating company for the LCA60T.
The FLYING WHALES airships will transport cargo from point to point without any infrastructure and load and unload goods while hovering in the air.
With a hybrid, and eventually fully electric (via hydrogen fuel cells) propulsion system and a very large payload capacity in terms of both tonnage and volume, the LCA60T have very limited environmental footprint. The future airships produced by Flying Whales will be the very first airships equipped with fuel cells.
A revolution for our world’s sustainability
The LCA60T is a game-changer towards environmental challenges. It definitely reduces ground footprint (no infrastructures in operation) and emissions (low -soon 0-emissions thanks to hybrid and soon fully-electric propulsion).
Focused on safety
Airworthiness authority’s certifications combined with intrinsic characteristics (safe lifting gas, rigid structure, powerful propulsion) provide the LCA60T a maximum level of safety.
An utmost adaptability
Unlimited access to isolated areas thanks to its point-to-point 60 tonnes capacity hovering.
Low operating costs and gets rid of infrastructures and transhipment expenses.
A trailblazing solution for point-to-point air cargo transportation.
For the first time in history, an aircraft, the LCA60T, will load and unload up to 60 tonnes of heavy or bulky loads in hover flight.
As the market for renewable power rapidly expands, an industry-wide need is emerging for cost-effective and sustainable transport to difficult-to-access locations.
Civil engineering and construction groups face huge challenges for sustainable special cargo transport in dense or remote areas.
Heavy industries are looking for innovative, affordable and sustainable ways to transport heavy and bulky loads.
Sustainable construction calls for an increase of wood supply, at low cost and minimizing the impact on biodiversity.
Humanitarian aid & disaster relief
Given that the logistics of humanitarian aid often constitute a real challenge, LCA60T can help optimize operations for important volumes.
Recently completed third round of fundraising
FLYING WHALES has welcomed funding from the French government as a part of its France 2030 program. This 122 million euro-round of financing, which was also carried out with historical shareholders including the Quebec government, via Investissement Québec, will enable the company to finalize its aeronautics program. Two of FLYING WHALES' current strategic shareholders, ALIAD (Air Liquide's venture capital fund) and ADP Group, also participated, along with Société Générale and several private investors.
For more information, visit: flying-whales.com