home Schengen The largest military transport aircraft. The largest planes in the world

The largest military transport aircraft. The largest planes in the world

The list of maximum size aircraft includes both military cargo transport and aircraft capable of carrying more than five hundred passengers. The leaders among them are the Airbus A380 and Boeing 747.

What models are on the list of the largest aircraft?

The list of the world's largest aircraft includes such giants as the An-225 and Airbus A380, Boeing 747 and An-22, ANT-20 and Airbus A340-600. All of them at one time became leaders in length or passenger capacity.

The listed aircraft were created in different countries world, some of them are transport and cargo, some are created only for the transport of passengers. The need for high-capacity aircraft is growing from year to year, which is associated with people’s desire to travel, get to know new countries, and discover new continents.

Hughes H-4 Hercules

Today, the aircraft with the largest wingspan is the Hughes H-4 Hercules. It was built in 1947 from wood. It was assumed that it would be capable of transporting at least seven hundred and fifty troops with full equipment.

The height of this wooden giant is twenty-four meters, length is sixty-six meters and forty-five centimeters, with a wingspan of ninety-eight meters. Today the Hughes H-4 Hercules is located in Oregon and is a museum exhibit.

An-225

There is only one An-225 aircraft in the world. Its second name is “Mriya”. In the eighties it was created in Ukraine for air transportation and is a cargo plane. Its maximum take-off weight is six hundred and forty tons.

The dimensions of the Mriya are also striking. With a height of twenty-four meters, ten centimeters and a length of seventy-three meters, its wingspan is almost eighty-eight and a half meters. It is known that construction of a second such aircraft is underway.

Airbus A380

Leader among passenger aircraft in terms of capacity is an airliner called Airbus A380. Its creator is Airbus S.A.S. Passengers on this plane are accommodated on two decks.

Being the largest among commercially produced airliners, this one is also the most economical in terms of fuel combustion. For a hundred kilometers of travel, fuel consumption for each passenger is only three liters.

An-124

The An-124 aircraft, also called “Ruslan”, is one of the largest cargo-lifting aircraft in the world. This giant is used as a military aircraft. The length of "Ruslan" is sixty-nine meters ten centimeters, the height is slightly more than twenty-one meters with a wingspan of seventy-three meters thirty centimeters.

Lockheed C-5 Galaxy

Until 1982, the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy was considered the largest among mass-produced transport and cargo aircraft. It is used today by the US Army and is capable of transporting at least two hundred and seventy soldiers.

This aircraft gains altitude up to ten kilometers and can cover a distance of five thousand six hundred kilometers without refueling. The maximum speed that the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy can reach is nine hundred and twenty kilometers.

Boeing 777-300ER

The record holder for the ability to fly without refueling is the Boeing 777-300ER, which can fly a distance of twenty-one thousand six hundred one kilometers. This passenger airliner was developed in 1990, and four years later it made its first test flight, and operation began in 1995.

Among twin-engine jet passenger aircraft, the Boeing 777-300ER remains the largest. It can accommodate from three hundred five to five hundred fifty people on board.

Airbus A340-600

A large four-engine passenger aircraft is called the Airbus A340-600. It was created for intercontinental flights and could fly without additional refueling over a distance of fourteen thousand six hundred kilometers.

The height of the liner is seventeen meters and thirty centimeters, the length is seventy-five meters and thirty centimeters, and the wingspan is sixty-three and a half meters.

Boeing 747

The Boeing 747 was considered the largest, most spacious and heaviest passenger airliner at the time of its creation. It held this record for thirty-seven years until it was overtaken by the Airbus A380.

The Boeing 747 is also the record holder for the most common aircraft in the world. It is known that more than one and a half thousand such airliners were produced.

The largest passenger plane in the world

As you know, the most comfortable and fastest way to travel is by plane. For this reason, many modifications of passenger cars have been created. aircraft. The largest among them for a long time remained, released in 1969, passenger Boeing 747. Its original capacity was four hundred and fifty-two passengers, but after modification it increased to five hundred and sixty-eight.

In 2005, a new super-capacious large aircraft appeared - the Airbus A380. Surprisingly, its capacity is eight hundred and fifty-two passengers. They are located on two decks. The wingspan of this four-engine airliner is nearly eighty meters, height is twenty-four meters, and length is seventy-three meters. The weight of this “giant” is also surprising - without passengers it weighs almost two hundred and seventy-seven tons and is capable of flying fifteen thousand two hundred kilometers without stopping to refuel.

And the largest cargo plane is called An-225 Mriya. It was made in the USSR. .
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The history of aviation in its modern sense goes back more than 100 years, if you do not take into account the attempts of man to fly into the air since ancient times. During this time, aircraft manufacturing has evolved from the first prototypes of the Wright brothers and other enthusiastic inventors to heavy-duty, multi-ton giants capable of carrying tons of cargo and hundreds of passengers. This article is about the 10 most large aircraft in the world.

The largest passenger plane in the world

Palm among the largest civil aircraft It uses an Airbus A380 to carry passengers. This is the brainchild of the European company Airbus. It first flew into the air with passengers in 2005 after 10 years of development and experimentation by designers.

Fact. The cost of creating the giant was almost 12 billion euros.

This expensive, but the largest passenger aircraft has the following dimensions:

height – 24.08 m;
length – 72.75 m;
wingspan - 79.75 m;
weight – 280 t.

Additional Information. Despite its impressive dimensions, the Airbus A380 is very economical and even environmentally friendly in operation - only three liters of fuel are consumed to transport one passenger over a distance of 100 kilometers. It can cover a distance of more than 15,400 meters without refueling. And the less fuel is spent, the less emissions into the atmosphere. This result was achieved thanks to the ideal design of the wing and fuselage, as well as the special material from which they are made. These engineering solutions significantly reduced the overall weight of the vessel and improved its aerodynamics.

Today, double-decker Airbus A380s accommodate 525 passengers when divided into three classes and up to 853 people with a single-class cabin configuration. However, development and testing of improved versions of the aircraft are already underway, the capacity of which should exceed 1000 people.

The Airbus A380 displaced the Boeing 747, which held the position of the most big plane since the 1970s The A380 developers have found a way to reduce production costs by 15% compared to Boeing and increase capacity by 7%.

Second largest aircraft in the world

The already mentioned Boeing 747 (Jumbo Jet) ranks honorably second in size among passenger airliners. At the time of its creation in 1969, it was the largest, heaviest and most spacious aircraft, 70.6 m long.

For 36 years it was produced in various modifications, however, maintaining their main characteristics: a wide fuselage and two floors for passengers. This design gives the Jumbo Jet a recognizable hump-like silhouette, as the upper deck is significantly shorter than the lower deck.

Interesting. In the late 1960s it was believed that the future passenger aviation belongs to supersonic light aircraft that will displace the clumsy heavyweights. Therefore, the 747 was designed with the ability to be converted into a freighter. Experts estimated the capacity of the market for spacious aircraft at no more than 400 units, but these forecasts did not come true, and in 1993 the company sold its thousandth Boeing 747. Only in our century, with the advent of the Airbus A380, demand began to fall.

In the 1970s There was a fuel crisis in the world; prices for jet fuel skyrocketed, as did ticket prices. Companies that have a Boeing 747 in their fleet are faced with its unprofitability; the plane often flies empty. However, on particularly busy routes and on intercontinental flights, the Jumbo Jet has been and remains a popular model.

The longest passenger plane in the world

This is a record holder already from modern history aviation - Boeing 747-8, began production in 2008. It is a modification of the legendary Boeing 747, with significant modifications. The designers extended the fuselage as much as possible, redesigned the wing and worked on efficiency in operation.

The length of the Boeing 747-8 is 76.25 m, making it the longest passenger airliner in the world. However, it is also the heaviest US aircraft, its take-off weight is 447 tons, which is still considered a record in the entire history of aircraft manufacturing in America.

Characteristics:

length – 76.25 m;
height – 19.35 m;
wingspan - 68.45 m.

In addition to cargo, this aircraft can accommodate up to 581 passengers.

The most "hardy" aircraft

For the successful operation of aircraft, in addition to capacity and payload capacity, it is important how far they can travel without refueling. Today, the record holder for long-distance flights is the Boeing 777, which is capable of flying half the circumference of the Earth at a time - 20,000 km. However, this is the maximum value of the flight length; in normal practice, the distance covered is 9000-17000 km.

Interesting. The Boeing 777E is the first modern airliner to be created using computer modeling instead of paper drawings. In the early 1990s. Such technologies have become a breakthrough in the aircraft industry, since 3D modeling makes it possible to eliminate errors in the joining of parts even at the design stage.

The Boeing 777 has different modifications depending on the fuselage length and range. 777-300ER is one of the most “hardy” and popular modifications. It is a large airliner with two turbofan engines. Maximum capacity – 550 people.

As a long-haul aircraft, the Boeing 777 can stay in the air for up to 18 hours without a break. However, there is a limitation on the duration of the crew's work shift, so there are special places in the cabin for pilots and flight attendants to sleep and rest.

Leader in wing length

The Hughes H-4 Hercules entered the TOP 10 largest aircraft in the world due to its wing size. Despite the fact that this is the oldest aircraft described here, no one has yet been able to break its record: the span reaches 98 meters.

The plane took off for the first and last time in 1947, it sad story creation. At the beginning of World War II, the American government commissioned the development of a military aircraft from Hughes Aircraft under the management of Howard Hughes. However, the search for a perfect solution took a long time. Hughes could not be satisfied with the result. In addition, there was a shortage of aluminum in the world. As a result, the war ended, but there was still no plane. Only two years after the end of hostilities, the Hughes H-4 Hercules made its first flight. Surprisingly, this device was made entirely of plywood and, in fact, was a flying boat.

Specifications:

length – 66.45 m;
height – 24.08 m;
wingspan - 97.54 m;
maximum take-off weight – 180 tons.

Interesting. This “boat” could transport 750 soldiers in full uniform to the battlefield. However, in reality, her flight was limited to two kilometers above Los Angeles. After which the plane remained in the personal property of G. Hughes, who until his death annually spent a lot of money on maintaining it in working condition. After the death of the designer, the giant was sent to a museum in California to attract tourists. The film The Aviator, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, is based on the life of engineer Howard Hughes.

Not long ago (May 31, 2017), the Hughes H-4 Hercules record for wingspan was surpassed: the Stratolaunch aircraft with a wingspan of 117 meters was presented to the world. However, it has not yet made a single flight, so Hughes’ brainchild is still the leader among the models in use.

The largest cargo plane in the world

This title belongs to the An-225, designed in the USSR at the Kiev Mechanical Development Plant, at the Design Bureau named after. O. K. Antonova. The Ukrainian name for the heavy-duty truck is “Mriya” (translated as “dream”). The first flight took place in 1988.

The impetus for the creation of "Mriya" was the Soviet space program "Buran" to develop a reusable transport spaceship. To implement ambitious plans, an aircraft with an ultra-high payload capacity was required to participate in the cargo transportation of ship components. The designed aircraft had to lift at least 250 tons at a time and have attachments for transporting external cargo.

The designers took the An-124-100 (“Ruslan”) as a basis and changed some components and parts to obtain the necessary specifications. This is how the largest transport aircraft An-225 appeared. Despite the fact that Mriya was created for very specific tasks, it has become a universal vessel in cargo aviation.

The cargo compartment is sealed and has the following dimensions:

length – 43 m;
height – 18.2 m;
width – 6.4 m;
wingspan - 88.4 m;
weight – 250 t.

The plane has space for 6 crew members and 88 people accompanying the cargo. The likelihood that the plane will fail during flight is extremely low - all important systems are duplicated 4 times.

While the Mriya has been created in a single copy, the winding down of the Buran program has also suspended the production of the heavyweight aircraft. It is known that the design bureau named after. Antonova continues to develop the second modification of the giant.

The largest military aircraft

The An-124 Ruslan, the prototype of the An-225, was at one time considered the largest aircraft in the world. It is now the largest military aircraft with a huge payload capacity. It has four turbojet engines, a wide fuselage and two decks. The lower one is for cargo, the upper one is for the crew (8 people) and accompanying people (up to 21 people). The volume of the cargo compartment is 1000 cubic meters. An-124 lifts 120 tons into the air.

Characteristics:

length – 69.1 m;
height – 21.08 m;
wingspan - 73.3 m;
weight – 178.4 tons;
take-off weight - 392 tons.

"Ruslan" was also developed at the Design Bureau named after. O.K. Antonova, like “Mriya”. The purpose of its creation is to transport transcontinental ballistic missiles. However, the result of the work of Soviet designers exceeded expectations - the An-124 turned out to be a universal military aircraft that can transport large military equipment. “Ruslan” was mass-produced; a total of 56 copies were produced. In the early 2000s. There were attempts to resume its production by Ukraine and Russia, but due to the worsening political relations between the two countries, the project was curtailed.

The largest turboprop aircraft in the world

The An-22 was developed in the Soviet Union in the 1960s, at the height of cold war" It was codenamed “product 100”. As a result, five years later the world saw this gigantic “product” called AN-22 “Antey”. This is the first Soviet and Russian aircraft with a wide fuselage. It is still considered the largest aircraft with a turboprop engine. The diameter of the propellers is 62 cm, and the power of each of the four engines is 11227 kW.

Characteristics:

length – 57.31 m;
height – 12.53 m;
wingspan – 64.40 m;
weight – 119 kg;
load capacity – 60 tons.

"Antey" is capable of transporting heavy and large military equipment over long distances and is used for airborne landings.

The heaviest combat aircraft in history

The Tu-160 is a representative of a completely different generation of military aircraft. He flies with supersonic speed and is a strategic bomber. So far this is the largest and most powerful aircraft in Russia and the world in the history of military aviation.

The Tu-160 concept was born in the 1970-1980s. as a response of Russian strategists to the military developments of the United States and NATO. The future aircraft was supposed to fly to the neighboring continent and overcome enemy air defenses at supersonic speed.

Characteristics:

length – 54.1 m;
the wing is variable sweep, so the span is different: 55.7/50.7/35.6 m;
height – 13.1 m;
weight – 110 t.
maximum take-off weight – 275 tons.

Most Tu-160 missile carriers are named after prominent figures in Russian aviation. As of 2017, our country Russia has 16 aircraft in service. There are plans to completely modernize them.

The largest mass-produced cargo aircraft

Completes the selection “The Most large planes» American cargo aircraft Lockheed C-5 Galaxy. Today it is the largest model among mass-produced cargo carriers. Since 1968, the aircraft has been successfully operated by the US Army, and regular upgrades allow it to be considered modern and promising.

Characteristics:

aircraft length - 75.54 m;
aircraft height – 19.85 m;
wingspan - 67.88 m;
weight – 169.6 tons.
maximum take-off weight – 379.6 tons.

The aircraft can fly over 4 thousand kilometers at an altitude of 10 km without refueling. The maximum developed speed is 920 km.

The largest aircraft are milestones in the history of aviation. They demonstrate how engineering thought developed, what path the designers saw before them. As history shows, the most outstanding achievements in aircraft manufacturing are associated with military operations.

The largest aircraft in the world is the An-225. They built the plane in Ukraine and use it to transport huge amounts of cargo. The An-225 is also called a military transport aircraft. The height of this aircraft is 24.1 meters, the length is also amazing - 73 meters. The wingspan is 88.4 meters. The weight of the aircraft is 250 thousand kg, and it can take off with a total weight of 600,000 kg. It was built back in 1988. The plane is equipped with six engines. There is only one An-225 in the whole world, which belongs to Antonov Airlines. Construction of the second An-225 is also underway, but it is not completely finished.

The Hughes H-4 Hercules, or as it is also called the NK-1 Goose, is the second largest aircraft. This wooden plane was built back in 1947, the project was developed by Hughes Aircraft, from America. As conceived, the aircraft was designed to transport 750 soldiers, plus their equipment. To this day, the aircraft's wingspan is the largest in the world - 98 meters. The length of the aircraft is 66.45 meters, height - 24 meters, maximum take-off weight is 180,000 kg. The maximum speed of the aircraft is 351 miles per hour, and the distance that the aircraft could cover is 5634 kilometers. About $13 million was allocated for its production. Nowadays, the plane is located in an exhibit museum in the state of Oregon, which is located in the northwestern United States.

The Airbus A380 is a passenger aircraft capable of carrying up to 525 people. It was created by the company "Airbus S.A.S", the height of this aircraft is 24 meters, length - 73 meters, wingspan - 79.75 meters. The maximum flight range without refueling is 15,400 km. The maximum take-off weight is 560,000 kg, and the weight of the aircraft itself is 280,000 kg. This aircraft is currently the largest passenger airliner in the world. It is also the most economical in terms of fuel combustion, for 1 passenger - 3 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers. The entire development of the A380 construction program cost about 12 billion euros.

The An-124 or Ruslan is one of the largest cargo-lifting aircraft in the world. Its main and initial purpose when created was: transportation of intercontinental ballistic missile launchers, transportation of paratroopers, and heavy military equipment. The An-124 was used in military operations in Afghanistan in 1987, a total of 56 aircraft were involved. A film was also made about this plane called “Ruslan, who united the world.” The An-124 is currently in service with the Russian Air Force and is also used for NATO military transport in Central Asia, Afghanistan, and the Persian Gulf. The length of the aircraft is 69.1 meters, the wingspan is 73.3 meters, the height is 21.1 meters, the weight is 173,000 kg.

We continue to look at the largest aircraft in the world. Fifth on the list is an aircraft called the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy. It is one of the American heavy-duty military transport aircraft. Until 1982 - the largest production cargo aircraft in the world. Capable of carrying up to 270 soldiers on board, 118,300 kg of additional weight. Maximum take-off weight - 348,300 kg, maximum speed- 920 km/h, flight range - 5,600 km, maximum altitude - 10,100 meters.

The Boeing 777-300ER is a large passenger aircraft that can fly a record distance of 21,601 km without refueling. Used for long-haul airlines. It was developed in 1990, had a test flight in 1994, and began operating in 1995. Can accommodate from 305 to 550 passengers. It is also the world's largest twin-engine passenger jet. The engines that are installed on it are also record holders; they are the largest and most powerful in the history of aviation.

The Airbus A340 is a four-engine passenger aircraft developed by Airbus S.A.S. To date, about 389 of these aircraft have been ordered. The development program began back in 1987. The A340 is a new four-engine aircraft designed for intercontinental flights. Previously, all aircraft below the A340 class had two engines, and were forced to stay at a minimum distance from the emergency airfield in case of breakdown. They had to spend more fuel, and it was inconvenient. In 1991, a significant error was noticed, the wing of the A330 and A340 was no different, and this was a problem, since the A330 used only two engines, while the A340 used four. The length of the aircraft is 75.3 meters, height - 17.3 meters, wingspan - 63.5 meters, maximum flight with passengers without refueling is 14,600 km.

At the time of its creation, the Boeing 747 was the largest, heaviest and most spacious passenger aircraft in the world, and it held the record for 37 years until the A380 appeared. The plane has two decks where passengers are seated - upper and lower. The top one is much smaller than the bottom one. The record set by one of the Boeings is a flight from London to Sydney, which is 18,000 kilometers and took 20 hours and 9 minutes from takeoff and landing. Also, the Boeing 747 is one of the most common aircraft in the world. From the inception of the aircraft until September 2010, 1,527 units were ordered. Its length is 70.6 meters, wingspan is 64.4 meters, maximum take-off weight- 412,770 kg, height - 19.4 meters.

It is the ninth largest of all aircraft in the world. Boeing 777-200ER is nothing more than a modification of the Boeing 777. Compared to the Boeing 777, the Boeing 777 200ER class has increased its take-off weight and fuel capacity. Designed for international transport, it holds the record for an emergency flight on one engine - 177 minutes, with 255 passengers on board. The first purchase was made by British Airways in 1997. As of September 2010, 415 of these aircraft were sold.

The Airbus A330-300 closes the list of the largest aircraft in the world. It was designed to replace the A300 aircraft. This aircraft can carry up to 295 passengers. The maximum flight distance is 10,800 km. The plane can also be used as a cargo carrier; its volume is equal to that of a Boeing 747. The plane has two engines, so it is forced to fly close to emergency airfields, spending a lot of fuel.