French-Canadian air freight company Flying Whales has chosen aircraft engine maker Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) to help it design a new electric-powered aircraft.

P&WC will therefore be responsible for developing a 1 MW turbine generator to power the LCA60T electric propulsion balloon for flying whales.

The LCA60T is a new generation point-to-point transport aircraft for heavy or bulky loads in remote or open areas. It will be particularly useful for “forests, mining, electrical industries and renewable energies as well as for the opening of the Far North provinces,” Flying Wells Quebec said in a press release on Tuesday.

To assemble and operate the LCA60T airships in America, an assembly plant will be built in Quebec by Flying Whales Quebec to produce up to 12 of these aircraft annually.

“Pratt & Whitney Canada is proud to play an important role in the development of the LCA60T from Flying Whales Quebec,” said Scott McElvin, Vice President of Business Development and Commercial Services.

For his part, Flying Whales Quebec’s General Manager, Arnaud Thioulouse, praised the “excellence and expertise developed by PW&C” which will be instrumental in designing this aircraft. «Le soutien du gouvernement du Québec par l’entremise du projet mobilisateur de l’aéronef de demain démontre l’importance de ce partenariat et participe au maintien de l’industrie du Québec au plus haut niveau d’innovation», at-innovation.