Shawinigan will have an important role to play in the design and manufacture of the impressive airship cargo balloon, Flying Whales.
The aeronautical subcontractor Delastek in the Grand-Mère sector has been given the mandate to produce the cockpit of the aircraft of the future.
The airship will be gigantic with a length of 200 meters and a loading capacity of 60 tons. It will be useful in isolated regions for the transport of oversized parts, particularly for the mining, forestry and energy sectors.
“Delastek is going to be in charge of the development and integration of all the systems of what is called the gondola. This is the cockpit of the airship. That’s the whole part for the pilots. There is also a rest area for the crew and also the part of the crane operator”, explained Claude Lessard, president of Delastek.
The company will not only act as a supplier, but will also be a financial partner in the Franco-Canadian project.
Quebec is also a financial backer. Earlier this week, Flying Whales announced that the design and manufacture of the airship’s electric propulsion system was entrusted to Pratt and Whitney of Longueuil.
It will take about 5 years to develop the device. Flying Whales will have an assembly plant in France and another in Quebec. Several cities, including Trois-Rivières, raised their hands to try to attract him to their territory.