Flying Whales

What Flying Whales does

Flying Whales is a French aerospace company founded in 2012 and headquartered in Suresnes, France, that is developing the LCA60T, a 200-meter-long rigid cargo airship designed to transport up to 60-ton payloads to landlocked and infrastructure-scarce regions without requiring runways or roads. The airship is powered by a hybrid turbogenerator and battery system feeding 32 distributed Evolito D250 electric motors, uses approximately 200,000 cubic meters of helium distributed across 14 patented cells, and features a novel hover loading and unloading system using water-ballast mass exchange. The company positions itself as both a manufacturer and operator, with three Final Assembly Lines planned (Laruscade in Nouvelle-Aquitaine for Europe/Africa, Montréal in Quebec for the Americas, and a planned Australian site for Asia-Pacific), an operating subsidiary called Flying Whales Services created in 2024 that combines airline and airport operator capabilities, and a training Academy in Agen.

The business model spans three revenue streams: aerial transport services operated through Flying Whales Services from global operational bases, hardware sales of LCA60T airships with a business plan target of 160 units, and recurring maintenance, training, and support services over the fleet lifecycle. GTM motion combines direct enterprise field sales to large industrial clients in wind energy, forestry, construction, and humanitarian sectors with regional channel partnerships (notably Transport Corporation of India for India). Customer segments are weighted toward Heavy Industry and Logistics (33% of business plan), Wind Energy (20%), and Construction and Infrastructure (15%), with Forestry (7%), Government (7%), Aerospace (7%), Humanitarian (5%), and smaller allocations to Nuclear and Oil and Gas.

Flying Whales is pre-revenue with cumulative fundraising of approximately €162 million since 2017, including a €122 million round in July 2022 led by Bpifrance and Gouvernement Monaco, plus ongoing 2025 funding. Commercial operations are planned to begin in 2029 following first flight in 2027 and EASA type certification targeted for late 2028. An IPO is planned around the first commercial flight to enable private investor exits and accelerate scaling. Key risks include execution risk on certification, the gap between cash deployment and revenue generation, and the novelty of the regulatory and operational model.

Name

Flying Whales

Legal name

Société par actions simplifiée FLYING WHALES

Website

https://flying-whales.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Flying Whales is a French aerospace company developing the LCA60T rigid cargo airship capable of carrying 60-ton payloads to remote regions without ground infrastructure. It targets wind energy, forestry, construction, logistics, and humanitarian sectors ahead of 2029 commercial launch.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Suresnes

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Aerial Transport Services: Primary revenue stream through Flying Whales Services subsidiary, providing heavy cargo transport services globally. Services deployed via operational bases worldwide with point-to-point transport to remote regions.
2. LCA60T Airship Sales: Longer-term revenue from selling LCA60T airships to operators. Business plan targets 160 units globally.
3. Maintenance and Training Services: Ongoing revenue from airship maintenance, operator training (Flying Whales Academy), and support services through the fleet lifecycle.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Flying Whales designs, develops and manufactures the LCA60T, a 200-meter rigid cargo airship capable of carrying payloads up to 60 tonnes with hover loading and unloading without ground infrastructure. The company also plans to operate air cargo transport services globally via its Flying Whales Services subsidiary and deliver training through the Flying Whales Academy.

Product overview

Flying Whales operates as a single-product company built around the LCA60T rigid cargo airship, supported by three core enablers: FLYING WHALES SERVICES (the airline and airport operating subsidiary created in 2024), a network of three Final Assembly Lines (FAL) in France, Canada, and Australia, and the FLYING WHALES Academy for training airship operators. The LCA60T is a 200m rigid airship carrying up to 60 tonnes of cargo with hover-loading capability, targeting wind energy, forestry, construction, heavy logistics, and humanitarian sectors. Commercial operations are planned to begin in 2029.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LCA60T Rigid Cargo Airship The LCA60T is a 200m long, 50m diameter rigid cargo airship with approximately 200,000m³ of helium distributed across 14 patented cells. It carries up to 60 tonnes of cargo with a hybrid turbogenerator plus battery propulsion via 32 electric motors, enabling vertical takeoff, cruising speeds up to 82 km/h, and hover loading/unloading without ground infrastructure in winds up to 40 km/h.
• Flying Whales Services (Cargo Transport Operations) Wholly-owned operating subsidiary combining the skills of an airline and an airport operator. Will deploy LCA60T airships from operational bases worldwide to provide point-to-point heavy cargo transport services to remote regions for industrial, energy, forestry, construction, humanitarian and government customers.
• Flying Whales Academy (Airship Operator Training) World's first airship professions school, established in partnership with SMAD (Syndicat Mixte pour l'Aérodrome Départemental) in Agen, France. Trains pilots, instructors, mechanics, load operators, and mooring specialists using a dedicated training airship and two simulators.

Quantifiable outcome

• 60-87% CO2 emission reduction compared to traditional transports
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor, flagship and core.

• Blue Water ShippingmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2026Strategic partnership announced for global shipping and logistics collaboration.
• Plastic OdysseyminorOthers · 22 May 2026Charitable support partnership. Flying Whales employees participating in fundraising campaign to finance expeditions and field actions against plastic pollution in oceans.
• BLP GroupmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 April 2026Partnership to establish cargo airship manufacturing hub in India, signaling expansion in alternative freight transportation.
• Transport Corporation of India (TCI)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 February 2026Strategic collaboration to deploy the LCA60T cargo airship in India. Partnership combines the airship's heavy-lift capabilities with TCI's multimodal network of nearly 1,400 offices to deliver cargo to remote regions for defense, energy, and infrastructure sectors. Flying Whales considering establishing third global hub in Tamil Nadu.
• Flying Whales ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 February 2026Subsidiary company created in 2024 as the future LCA60T operator. Functions as both airline and airport operator combining expertise of both industries.
• EvolitocoreTechnology or Integration · 16 January 2026British engineering start-up supplying 32 D250 electric motors per airship for distributed electric propulsion. Evolito spun out from YASA (electric motor pioneer) in 2021 with aerospace certifications.
• Naskapi Nation of KawawawachikamachmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 December 2025Strategic commercial partnership signed for Flying Whales Québec operations, serving indigenous communities in Quebec.
• HexcelcoreTechnology or Integration · 20 June 2025Hexcel supplies advanced composite materials including HexTow IMA Carbon Fiber for the airship's structural skeleton. Comprehensive range including prepregs, carbon fibers, fabrics, and adhesives developed specifically for Flying Whales' technical requirements.
• Chantiers ChibougamauminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 2024Memorandum of Understanding signed for collaboration in Quebec operations.
• Rougier GroupmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 March 2023Partnership for sustainable forestry operations using LCA60T to access remote forests while minimizing environmental impact.
• Ariane GroupminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 January 2023Letter of intent signed for potential collaboration, leveraging Ariane Group's aerospace expertise.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hybrid Air Vehicles: UK-based developer of the Airlander heavy-lift hybrid airship, targeting similar cargo, humanitarian, and remote-region logistics use cases as Flying Whales' LCA60T. Closest direct competitor in the heavy-lift airship category with overlapping target segments and comparable technology positioning.
• LTA Research (Google/Alphabet-backed): Lighter Than Air Research, founded by the Google co-founder Sergey Brin's family office, is developing the Pathfinder and next-generation airship platforms for cargo and humanitarian transport. Direct peer with comparable product category and overlapping use-case vision.

Broad incumbents

• Lockheed Martin: Previously developed the LMH-1 hybrid airship through its LM Aeronautics segment, validating the heavy-lift airship category with deep aerospace manufacturing scale and defense customer access. Broad incumbent whose prior airship program and broader defense/transport portfolio overlap with Flying Whales' addressable markets.
• Airbus: Global aerospace incumbent with established cargo aviation (Beluga), UAV, and advanced air mobility initiatives. Comparable as a broad aerospace manufacturer/operator with potential to enter the heavy-lift airship category and whose Ariane Group has signed an LOI with Flying Whales.
• Boeing: Major aerospace incumbent with cargo aviation, defense logistics, and advanced air mobility investments (e.g., Wisk Aero). Comparable as a deep-pocketed broad incumbent whose subsidiaries and partners overlap with Flying Whales' target segments (defense, logistics, cargo).
• Embraer: Brazilian aerospace manufacturer with regional/cargo aircraft (e.g., KC-390) addressing defense logistics, remote-region transport, and humanitarian missions. Broad incumbent with overlap in defense, humanitarian, and remote-region logistics customers served by Flying Whales.

Emerging players

• Sabrewing Aircraft: California-based developer of the Rhaegal cargo aircraft, a blended-wing body with heavy-lift cargo capacity for remote operations. Emerging player with partial overlap in heavy-lift remote-region cargo mission profile but a different aerodynamic approach than lighter-than-air.
• Elroy Air: US-based developer of autonomous hybrid-electric VTOL cargo aircraft (Chaparral) targeting middle-mile logistics. Emerging player addressing adjacent cargo-delivery missions for industrial and humanitarian customers with overlapping customer segments.
• Natilus: US-based developer of blended-wing body autonomous cargo aircraft for long-haul freight. Emerging player with comparable decarbonization narrative and target customer base (freight operators, logistics providers) but a fixed-wing approach distinct from lighter-than-air.
• Wisk Aero: Boeing-backed eVTOL developer pursuing autonomous passenger flight. Emerging player with shared theme of electric/hybrid-electric aviation and similar regulatory pathway (FAA/EASA type certification) but different end-market (urban air mobility vs heavy-lift cargo).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/_flying_whales_

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors6 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Flying Whales