Highlights :
- Explore the features and attributes of the monster planes.
- These huge planes look like they can go beyond the sky.
- The number of passengers or goods that these monster planes can carry is huge.
The sky is full of wonders, and if your head is in the clouds today, you will surely be a little curious about the humongous flying machines. Yes! We are talking about monster planes. These aircraft look bigger than the sky to the naked eye. These huge flying machines are bigger than buildings and extremely heavy. Here is a list of the largest planes in the world. Let’s jump right into it!
Largest Monster Planes In The World
1. Antonov An-225 Mriya
Antonov An-225 Mriya is considered the biggest plane in the world in terms of metrics. This is a cargo airplane built by the Antonov Design Bureau in the Ukrainian SSR. It was designed to carry the Buran spaceplane, which is a Soviet space shuttle, and Energia rocket boosters, but it does other airlifting work too.
An-225 is the heaviest plane and can take off with a maximum weight of 710 tons. This monster plane has the longest wingspan and currently flies at 290 feet. It joined the force that was fighting against COVID-19 and delivered essential supplies to the countries facing a shortage of resources around the world.
2. Aero Spacelines Super Guppy
Still used by NASA, this is the second-largest plane ever made. This cargo ship carries spacecraft and rockets for NASA.
It was first made from a balloon fuselage which was from a Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter, and it had its first flight in 1965. This cargo plane was replaced by Airbus Beluga but NASA still uses this monster plane.
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3. Lockheed C-5 Galaxy
This flying machine has a capacity of 135 tons and is operated by the U.S. military. The Air Force announced the usage of this monster plane again in May 2017.
C-5 can carry M1 Abrams Tanks, 16 Humvees, Black Hawks, and many other vehicles. Without any cargo, it can fly up to 7000 miles without refueling, which makes it the longest-range military airlifting plane in the world.
4. Boeing 747 Dreamlifter
Boeing realized that there was a need for a cargo plane in the 2000s which has a huge amount of storage and could transport components for the 787 Dreamliner.
This led them to resort to their biggest plane, and they further built a custom cargo for the same. The Dreamlifter is known to have the largest capacity hold in the world at 65,000 cubic feet, capable of carrying three times the volume of a 747-400F freighter.
5. Antonov An-124 Ruslan
Antonov Design Bureau designed another monster plane. The An-124 Ruslan is operated by the Russian Air Force, and it was the largest military aircraft of its time in the world.
It was introduced in 1984 and it reigned as the largest cargo aircraft in the world for 30 years. It has a payload of 165 tons and it can haul more than C-5 Galaxy, but the range is not as long. It is still being operated by Russia.
6. Boeing B-52 Stratofortress
The B-52 was introduced in 1955, and the current model, the first B-52H, came out in 1961. The BUFF can carry around 70,000 pounds of weapons!
The B-52 is entering its sixth decade of service, and since the technology is always evolving, it is being planned by the Air Force that the B-52 is going to be accompanied by a Long-Range Stand-Off missile.
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7. Airbus Beluga
The Airbus Beluga, also known as the Airbus A300-600 Super Transporter, was initially designed with a motive to carry large and unusual aircraft parts, just like the Dreamlifter. It was introduced in 1995 and was later replaced by the Super Guppy.
Its parts were designed and built by Airbus engineers across Europe, which included countries like the U.K., Germany, France, and Spain. Its length goes up to 124-foot and it has a payload of almost 52 tons.
8. Airbus BelugaXL
Beluga was given the tough competition in size by Airbus BelugaXL. It was made in 2014 and took its first operational flight in 2020. The plane is huge in terms of size and it has a length of 206 feet.
It also holds the world’s largest cross-section of a cargo plane.
9. Boeing 747
The Dreamlifter is already on the list, but there is a lot more to that. More than 1,500 Boeing 747s have been built by Boeing, not to mention that these monster planes have served as the world’s largest cargo and passenger plane.
It also served as a military command center in the sky, served in Air Force One, and to add to the list, it also helped as a space shuttle lifter and worked for NASA as an infrared telescope flier. It is still being operated in the US as it is mass manufactured as a four-engine jumbo jet.
10. Boeing C-17 Globemaster III
The C-17 Globemaster took its debut flight in 1991, and over 279 Globemasters have been created since then.
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The C-17 can drag about 85.5 tons into the sky. Its expertise lies in transporting troops and cargo, performing airlifts and medical evacuations, and flying airdrop routes.
Conclusion
These monster planes have served mostly as cargo planes but they are worth your attention. Although a few of these are not being used widely anymore, they have still left a legacy for the designers and constructors of airplanes and are always looked up to and appreciated by tech lovers.
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