27 Of The Most Eye-Popping Cargo Aircraft Ever Built

27 Of The Most Eye-Popping Cargo Aircraft Ever Built

They are the grey eminences of aviation. They are doing what they have to do without any ado. We hardly notice them when we take a flight from A to B. However, cargo aircraft can be as interesting and special as fighter planes or passenger aircraft. We are going to prove this.

We compared the following amazing transport aircraft by these means: Name – Country – Primary use – First flight – Powerplant – Empty weight – Payload – Specialty/fun fact.

USS Macon (ZRS-5) — United States — rigid airship, flying aircraft carrier (launched biplane fighters from its exterior riggings) — 1933 — 8 x 420 kW (560 hp) internal combustion engines — 108,000 kg — 72,000 kg — The USS Macon and the USS Akron (ZRS-4) were among the largest flying objects ever built.

27 Of The Most Eye-Popping Cargo Aircraft Ever Built

Picture: U.S. Naval Historical Center


Martin JRM Mars — United States — cargo transport seaplane — 1942 — 4 x Wright R-3350-24WA Duplex Cyclone 18-cylinder radial engines — 34,279 kg — 15,000 kg — It was the largest Allied flying boat, although only seven were built.

27 Of The Most Eye-Popping Cargo Aircraft Ever Built

Picture: Naval Air Station Jacksonville/Wikimedia Commons


Messerschmitt Me 323 Gigant — Germany — heavy military transport — 1942 – 6 x Gnome-Rhône 14N-48/49 two-row air-cooled radial engines — 27,330 kg — 12,000 kg. It was the largest land-based transport aircraft of the 2nd world war.

27 Of The Most Eye-Popping Cargo Aircraft Ever Built

Picture: San Diego Air & Space Museum


The Hughes H-4 Hercules (also known as the “Spruce Goose”) — United States — heavy transport aircraft prototype (1 built) — 1947 — 8 x Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major radial engines — loaded weight: 180,000 kg — This is the largest flying boat ever built and it has the largest wingspan of any aircraft in history.

27 Of The Most Eye-Popping Cargo Aircraft Ever Built

Picture: San Diego Air & Space Museum


Mil Mi-6 — Soviet Union — heavy transport helicopter — 1957 — 2 x Soloviev D-25V turboshaft — 27,240 kg — 12,000 kg — The Mi-6 was the world’s largest and fastest helicopter when it was introduced.

27 Of The Most Eye-Popping Cargo Aircraft Ever Built

Image sources: Repülés, 1966. július / Utak és járművek, Magyar-Szovjet Baráti Társaság, 1975


Antonov An-12 — Soviet Union — civil and military transport aircraft — 1957 — 4 x Progress AI-20L or AI-20M turboprops — 28,000 kg — 20,000 kg — Over 900 had been built, in both military and civilian versions.

27 Of The Most Eye-Popping Cargo Aircraft Ever Built

Picture: Björn Strey


Canadair CL-44 — Canada — turboprop airliner and cargo aircraft — 1959 — 4 x Rolls-Royce Tyne 515/50 turboprops — 40,348 kg — 29,959 kg — Innovative fuselage design.

27 Of The Most Eye-Popping Cargo Aircraft Ever Built

Image source: Repülés, 1964. február


Armstrong Whitworth AW.660 Argosy — Great-Britain — military transport/cargo aircraft — 1959 — 4 x Rolls-Royce Dart RDa.8 Mk 101 turboprops — 25,401 kg — 13,150 kg — Its unusual “pod and boom” structure earned its nickname “The Whistling Wheelbarrow.”

27 Of The Most Eye-Popping Cargo Aircraft Ever Built

Image source: Flieger-Jahrbuch, 1965. Transpress Veb Verlag Für Verkehrswesen Berlin, 1964.


Mil Mi-10 — Soviet Union — heavy military transport aircraft — 1960 — 2 x Soloviev D-25V turboshaft — 27,100 kg — 3,000 kg internally or up to 15,000 kg payload on platform or 8,000 kg max slung payload — A transport helicopter of flying crane configuration.

27 Of The Most Eye-Popping Cargo Aircraft Ever Built

Image source: Utak és járművek, Magyar-Szovjet Baráti Társaság, 1975


Aero Spacelines B-377PG Pregnant Guppy — United States — wide-bodied cargo aircraft — 1962 — 4 x Pratt & Whitney R-4360-59 “Wasp Major” radials — 41,275 kg — 22,670 kg — This aircraft was built to transport outsized cargo for NASA’s Apollo program, primarily portions of the Saturn 5 rockets.

27 Of The Most Eye-Popping Cargo Aircraft Ever Built

Picture: NASA


Sikorsky CH-54 Tarhe — United States — heavy-lift cargo helicopter — 1962 — 2 x Pratt & Whitney T73-P-700 turboshaft engines — 8,980 kg — 9,072 kg — A highly successful aerial crane used in Vietnam for transport and downed-aircraft retrieval.

27 Of The Most Eye-Popping Cargo Aircraft Ever Built

Picture: U.S. Defence Imagery/Wikimedia Commons


Antonov An-22 — Soviet Union — heavy military transport aircraft — 1965 — 4 x Kuznetsov NK-12MA turboprops driving contra-rotating propellers — 114,000 kg — 80,000 kg — The world’s largest turboprop-powered aeroplane.

27 Of The Most Eye-Popping Cargo Aircraft Ever Built

Bonus pic — nice view with a bus:

27 Of The Most Eye-Popping Cargo Aircraft Ever Built

Image source: Repülés, 1965. augusztus


Mil V-12 — Soviet Union — heavy lift helicopter — 1968 — 4 x Soloviev D-25VF turboshaft engines — 69,100 kg — 40,000 kg — The largest helicopter ever flown, although only two prototypes were built of this transverse rotor system aircraft.

27 Of The Most Eye-Popping Cargo Aircraft Ever Built

Image source: Utak és járművek, Magyar-Szovjet Baráti Társaság, 1975


Lockheed C-5 Galaxy — United States — USAF strategic airlifter — 1968 — 4 x General Electric TF39-GE-1C high-bypass turbofan — 172,370 kg — 122,470 kg — One of the largest military aircraft in the world used to move vehicles and equipment.

27 Of The Most Eye-Popping Cargo Aircraft Ever Built

Picture: Senior Airman Perry Aston/U.S. Air Force

Bonus pic — C5-A, the original version of the C-5 Galaxy:

27 Of The Most Eye-Popping Cargo Aircraft Ever Built

Image source: Repülés, August 1969.


Ilyushin Il-76 – Soviet Union – multi-purpose strategic airlifter, commercial freighter – 1971 – 4 x Aviadvigatel PS-90-76 turbofans – 92,500 kg – 60,000 kg – It has also been modified into an airborne refueller, waterbomber, and simulated weightlessness trainer for cosmonauts.

27 Of The Most Eye-Popping Cargo Aircraft Ever Built

Picture: Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP


A-90 Orlyonok — Soviet Union — ekranoplan (a ground effect vehicle) — 1972 — 2 x Kuznetsov NK-8-4K turbofan, 1 x Kuznetsov NK-12MK turboprop — N/A — 28,000 kg — The A-90 uses ground effect to fly a few meters above the surface. It is a Class B Ekranoplan, it can achieve an altitude of 3,000 m.

27 Of The Most Eye-Popping Cargo Aircraft Ever Built

Picture: Ivan Sekretarev/AP


Mil Mi-26 — Soviet Union — heavy transport helicopter — 1977 — 2 x Lotarev D-136 turboshafts — 28,200 kg — 24,000 kg — The largest and most powerful production helicopter.

27 Of The Most Eye-Popping Cargo Aircraft Ever Built

Picture: AP//Dmitry Lovetsky/AP


Boeing 747-100 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft — United States — two modified airliners NASA used to transport Space Shuttles — 1977 — 4 x P&W JT9D-7J turbofans — 144,200 kg — 68,585 kg — Piggybacking Space Shuttle orbiters.

27 Of The Most Eye-Popping Cargo Aircraft Ever Built

Picture: German postcard, 1983.


Myasishchev VM-T Atlant — Soviet Union — strategic airlift aeroplane — 1981 — 4 x RKBM/Koliesov VD-7MD turbojets — 75,740 kg — 50,000 kg. The VM-T was designed to carry rocket boosters and the Soviet space shuttles of the Buran program.

27 Of The Most Eye-Popping Cargo Aircraft Ever Built

Picture: buran.ru


Antonov An-124 Ruslan — Soviet Union — strategic airlift jet aircraft — 1982 — 4 x Ivchenko Progress D-18T turbofans — 175,000 kg — 150,000 kg — The world’s largest military aircraft.

27 Of The Most Eye-Popping Cargo Aircraft Ever Built

Picture: Bombardier Transportation/Getty Images


Antonov An-225 Mriya — Soviet Union — strategic airlift cargo aircraft — 1988 — 6 x ZMKB Progress D-18 turbofans — 285,000 kg — 253,820 kg — The largest and heaviest aeroplane in the world, carrier of the the Soviet space shuttle Buran.

27 Of The Most Eye-Popping Cargo Aircraft Ever Built

Bonus pic — because it deserves the exposure:

27 Of The Most Eye-Popping Cargo Aircraft Ever Built

Picture: Michel Lipchitz/AP


Boeing C-17 Globemaster III — United States — strategic/tactical airlifter — 1991 — 4 x Pratt & Whitney F117-PW-100 turbofans — 128,100 kg — 77,519 kg — The C-17 is used to transport the Presidential Limousine and security detachments.

27 Of The Most Eye-Popping Cargo Aircraft Ever Built

Picture: Staff Sgt. Jonathan Snyder/U.S. Air Force


Antonov An-70 — Ukraine — medium-range transport aircraft – 1994 — 4 x Progress D-27 propfans — 66,230 kg — 47,000 kg — The first large aircraft to be powered by propfan engines.

27 Of The Most Eye-Popping Cargo Aircraft Ever Built

Picture: Efrem Lukatsky/AP


Airbus Beluga — France (and Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain) — wide-bodied outsize cargo freight aircraft — 1994 — 2 x GE CF6-80C2A8 high-bypass turbofans — 86,000 kg — 47,000 kg — It is basically an Airbus A300-600 airliner modified to carry aircraft parts and oversized cargo, and well, it really looks like a Beluga.

27 Of The Most Eye-Popping Cargo Aircraft Ever Built

Picture: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images


Boeing 747 Large Cargo Freighter (LCF) or Dreamlifter — United States — wide-body cargo aircraft — 2006 — 4 x Pratt & Whitney 4062747 high-bypass turbofans — 180,530 kg — N/A — Used exclusively for transporting 787 aircraft parts to Boeing’s assembly plants from suppliers around the world. Able to land and takeoff from Col. James Jabara Airport, Wichita, Kansas.

27 Of The Most Eye-Popping Cargo Aircraft Ever Built

Picture: Brett Deering/Getty Images


Boeing 747-8F — United States — wide-body freighter aircraft — 2010 — 4 x GEnx-2B67 high-bypass turbofans — 195,800 kg — 140,000 kg — The second largest cargo jet after the Mrya.

27 Of The Most Eye-Popping Cargo Aircraft Ever Built

Picture: Boeing Dreamscape/Wikimedia Commons



Top photo: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Super Guppy. The awkwardly shaped aircraft is specifically designed to carry oversized payloads and has been in service since August 1965. — Tech. Sgt. Christine Jones/U.S. Air Force


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