Flying Whales is a French aeronautic start-up developing an airship 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]
History
Founded in 2012 by Sébastien Bougon, this project was initially dedicated to wood exploitation in partnership with the Office National des Forêts (ONF), the French organization in charge of public forest management.
The project developed during a pre-study phase from 2013 to 2016. It was selected as one of the 34 plans under the Nouvelle France Industrielle program launched on September 12, 2013.[2][3]
The French government and the regional government of Nouvelle-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.[4]