Bharat Forge-Flying Whales Partnership: Bharat Forge Limited has signed a new deal with Flying Whales, a French-Canadian company known for heavy-lift airship technology. The two sides will work together to make advanced airships for defence and strategic use in India. The company said this step supports the idea of Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India. The MoU was signed by Guru Biswal, CEO, Aerospace, Bharat Forge, and Sebastien Bougon, President, Flying Whales, at the Farnborough International Airshow 2026 in the UK.
“Bharat Forge Limited, through its Aerospace Division, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Flying Whales, a French-Canadian global pioneer in heavy-lift airship technology to jointly develop, manufacture and field, advanced airships for India’s defence and strategic operational requirements,” said the statement. The companies will also try to build the airships in India so that the country gets more local skills and a stronger aerospace base.
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The LCA60T is the Main Platform
The heart of this pact is the LCA60T platform. It is Flying Whales’ next-generation heavy-lift airship. The company says it can carry up to 60 tonnes of cargo. It can also take off and land vertically. That means it does not need big airports or heavy ground support. It uses hybrid-electric propulsion too. This makes it useful for remote places where normal transport is hard.
The airship is being looked at for many defence jobs. These include:
- Supply runs to forward military bases
- Transport of large military equipment
- Movement of critical defence supplies and materials
- Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions
- Communication relay operations
- Humanitarian assistance missions
- Disaster relief and emergency response operations
- Rapid deployment in border regions
- Operations in remote and difficult terrain areas
The companies said the platform opens “new possibilities” for military logistics, strategic mobility and disaster response.
What the Partnership could Change
Bharat Forge said the plan is to set up manufacturing, integration and production of Flying Whales-Bharat Forge airships in India. The company called this move a way of “creating sovereign capabilities in a strategically important aerospace segment”. It also said the localisation plan could bring high-technology jobs, build a stronger supply chain and open export opportunities for India in the future.
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Amit Kalyani, Vice Chairman & Joint Managing Director, Bharat Forge, said, “Airships will redefine how nations move, supply and sustain their forces, and India will lead that change. This strategic partnership places India among a select group of nations with the capability to design, build and field heavy-lift airships, bringing together Flying Whales’ pioneering technology and Bharat Forge’s six decades of advanced engineering strength and deep understanding of India’s defence needs,”.
He added, “Aligned to the spirit of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, we are creating a sovereign capability, a new industrial ecosystem and an entirely new dimension of strategic mobility for the nation,”.
Tanguy Lestienne, Chief Executive Officer, Flying Whales Services, also spoke about the deal. He said, “The LCA60T was conceived to reach the world’s most remote and demanding locations, and that promise finds its fullest expression in India, with its vast geography, challenging terrain and extraordinary ambition.
“We are delighted to partner with Bharat Forge, whose engineering depth, defence expertise and shared vision make this a true strategic alliance to take the programme to scale. Together, we will build in India, for India and for the world, laying the foundations of an airship industry that will serve this region for generations,”.
