FOX Brasil, Flying Whales Explore Airship Operations

By Simon West

FOX Brasil has signed a memorandum of understanding with French hybrid airship developer Flying Whales to explore deploying the company’s LCA60T cargo airship in Brazil.

Flying Whales is developing a first prototype of the LCA60T, a 200-meter-long hybrid-electric airship designed for point-to-point deliveries to remote and hard-to-reach locations such as mountain tops, wooded areas or disaster zones. The airships will have the capacity to lift and transport cargo weighing up to 60 tons.

According to the company’s website, a first flight is expected in 2027, with commercial operations starting in 2029.

The MoU with FOX Brasil, the first Brazilian company to sign a deal with Flying Whales, establishes a framework for the companies to explore potential cargo applications, feasibility, logistics flows and potential long-term collaboration.

Murilo Caldana, project director at FOX Brasil, said Brazil’s vast geographical distances, remote infrastructure projects and fast-growing demand for heavy-lift logistics in sectors such as mining, renewable energy, power and forestry made it a promising market for the aircraft.

“These industries frequently require the transportation of oversized and heavy equipment to locations where conventional logistics can be complex, time-consuming or environmentally challenging,” Caldana told Breakbulk. “The concept has the potential to complement — not replace — traditional logistics solutions by creating new alternatives for challenging projects where accessibility, sustainability and reduced infrastructure dependency are critical.”

Caldana stressed that the agreement is pre-commercial and does not constitute an exclusive or definitive commercial partnership.

Meet Caldana and the FOX Brasil team at Breakbulk America 2026 on 22-23 September in Houston.