Bharat Forge has entered into a strategic partnership with French-Canadian aerospace company FLYING WHALES to jointly develop and manufacture heavy-lift airships in India, supporting the country’s sovereign capabilities in defence, strategic logistics and advanced aerospace manufacturing.
Bharat Forge has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with FLYING WHALES to establish a collaboration focused on developing and manufacturing heavy-lift airships for sovereign applications in India. The partnership is aimed at strengthening indigenous aerospace capabilities while supporting the country’s broader Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiatives.
The collaboration brings together FLYING WHALES’ expertise in heavy-lift airship technology with Bharat Forge’s engineering and manufacturing capabilities. The companies will work towards local production, system integration and deployment of next-generation airships designed for strategic and defence-related missions.
Heavy-lift airships are expected to play an important role in transporting oversized cargo, supporting military logistics and enabling operations in remote or infrastructure-constrained regions. The companies believe the platform can offer a flexible transportation solution for missions where conventional aircraft or road networks face operational limitations.
According to Bharat Forge, the partnership is intended to position India among a limited group of nations with the capability to manufacture advanced heavy-lift airships domestically. The initiative also aligns with the country’s efforts to strengthen self-reliance in critical aerospace technologies while expanding its indigenous defence industrial base.
The proposed collaboration extends beyond manufacturing and includes the development of a domestic ecosystem for advanced airship technologies. By combining international technology with local industrial expertise, the partners aim to support future requirements across national security, strategic mobility and specialised logistics applications.
Bharat Forge said the agreement represents another step in its expanding aerospace and defence portfolio, while FLYING WHALES sees India as a strategic market for advancing heavy-lift airship capabilities through long-term industrial cooperation.
Source: This is based on an official press release issued by Bharat Forge
Bharat Forge And FLYING WHALES Sign Strategic MoU To Develop And Manufacture Heavy-Lift Airships For Sovereign Applications In India
