The Most Impressive Military Planes in the World
It is truly amazing what aircraft the military can build that can get off of the ground. These mesmerizing aircrafts have anything from double-decker layouts to six-engine rigs to wingspans longer than a football field. Read on to take a look a some of the biggest aircrafts the military has flown. Just wait until you see the Airbus Beluga...
Hughes XH-17
The Hughes XH-17, also referred to as the "Flying Crane", first took to the air back in 1952. It used the largest rotor ever to be used during a flight, measuring at 129 feet. While it looks incredibly strange, it was built during a time of great experimentation in aviation.
The record for the size of its motor is yet to be broken, with its size allowing it to fly holding a weight of over 50,000 pounds. The prototype was the only one ever built considering the aircraft's shape and size.
Antonov An-12
The Antonov An-12 is the military design of the Antonov An-10. While it first took to the sky in 1957, it was officially produced for mass use in 1959. More than 900 of the planes had been constructed before the Soviet production of these planes came to a halt.
It is often described as being similar to the Lockheed C-130 Hercules in both the plane's size and function. Most of these planes came equipped with a defensive tail gun turret.
Airbus A400M Atlas
The Airbus A400M Altas is a massive European military transport plane. Initially, it was designed by Airbus Military to be used as a tactical airliner. It was also designed with the hopes of replacing the Transall C-160 and the Lockheed C-130 Hercules.
The plane has other uses aside from transport; it can also be used for refueling other planes as well as for medical evacuations. In regard to the aircraft's size, it is estimated to be between the C-130 and C-17.
HAV Airlander 10
The HAV Airlander 10 may look like something from the past, but that's not necessarily the case. The HAV Airlander 10 is a hybrid helium airship that was originally designed and built for the American military.
While the United States eventually gave up on the project, it didn't take long for the project to exchange hands and be given over to Hybrid Air Vehicles of Britain. Currently, the airship is the largest flying object in the world.
Mil Mi-26
The Mil Mi-26 is the largest helicopter to ever be manufactured in large numbers. Being Soviet-made, it was designed to transport and carry soldiers and cargo, with the helicopter still being used in various parts of the world today.
At just about maximum capacity, the massive helicopter can carry up to 20 tons of cargo, equal to the same amount of space as roughly 90 people. Interestingly enough, this type of helicopter was actually used to transport the remains of a wooly mammoth that had been preserved in a block of ice.
XB-70 Valkyrie
The XB-70 Valkyrie was made in North America and was a nuclear-armed bomber that was intended to be used by the US Air Force Strategic Air Command.. It was designed and built in the late 1950s with the ability to go up to Mach 3 and faster, at an altitude of up to 70,000 feet, covering thousands of miles of distance.
The aircraft was so advanced, that it almost appeared to be indestructible, surpassing any other bombers being made at the time. It set the bar for aviation at the time and still does today.
Aeroflot Mil V-12
The Aeroflot Mil V-12 is the largest helicopter to have ever been built. The design on the massive helicopter began back in 1959 after the USSR decided that they needed a helicopter that could lift over 25 tons of cargo.
Little did they know that they would end up with a beast of a helicopter that could have a maximum take-off weight of 115 tons. It currently holds eight world records for the highest altitude with the most weight and has been used to transport intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Xian H-6 Bomber
The H-6 Bomber was first delivered to the Chinese military in 1958 and has enjoyed quite an impressive and successful career. While the Chinese didn't end up getting too much use out of it, the Iraqi and Egyptian Air Forces certainly did. In fact, the Iraqi Air Force retired the plane in 1991, while the Egyptian Air Force would retire the plane in 2000.
It's a variation of the Tupolev Tu-16 twin-engine bomber that was originally built for the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force.
Antonov An-22
The Antonov An-22 was a plane that was produced for only a ten-year period between 1966 and 1976. However, the model that was introduced at the 1965 Paris Air Show was different from the rest that were produced which ended up having a nose-mounted radar.
Designed in the USSR by the Antonov Design Bureau, it has four turboprop engines which power contra-rotating propellers. It was also the first wide-body transport aircraft in the world.
Antonov AN-225 Mriya
This strategic airlift cargo aircraft is powered by six turbofan engines and is the longest and heaviest plane ever built.
It was originally developed to transport the Buran spaceplane for the USSR in the 80s. It can take off with a maximum weight of 640 tons and has the longest wingspan of any aircraft at the time it was built, and out of any current operational aircraft in the world.
Douglas XB-19
All the way up until 1946, the Douglas XB-19 was the largest aircraft that had been built and used by the United States Army Air Force. As technology continued to progress, by 1949, the entire aircraft had been scrapped.
The purpose of the plane was to test various design elements for oversized bombers. After the XB-19 had been prototyped, technology had already far surpassed what the plane had already been equipped with. For this reason, the plane was deemed unsuitable.
Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules
Any aircraft that has the word "Hercules" in the title, nevermind "Super Hercules," is going to be a force to be reckoned with. The C-130J first took flight in 1996 for the U.S. Air Force and has since been delivered to 15 other nations who have placed orders.
It's a four-engine turboprop transport plane that has been in continuous production longer than any other military aircraft in history. While this exact model is roughly two decades old, the Hercules family has been around for nearly six.
Tupolev Tu-160
The Tupolev Tu-160 is currently the largest and heaviest combat aircraft in use. It belongs to the Russian Air Force and first began being used in 1987, making it one of the last strategic bombers designed for the Soviet Union before its dissolution.
It is a supersonic plane that is mostly used as a strategic bomber. Currently, it is the heaviest and largest military-type aircraft that has the ability to surpass the speed of Mach 2.
Convair B-36 Peacemaker
The Convair B-36 Peacemaker was operated by the United States Air Force from 1949 until 1959. It had a fairly short lifespan, but still remains the largest mass-produced piston-engined aircraft ever built.
It had the longest wingspan of any combat aircraft ever built at 230 ft. The B-36 was special in that it was capable of delivering any nuclear weapons in the U.S. arsenals at the time without any modifications. It ended up being replaced by the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress near the end of the 50s.
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American, long-range, jet-powered, strategic bomber. It has been in use by the United States Air Force since the 1950s and has the capability to carry up to 70,000 pounds of weapons. Without the need to refuel, the bomber can travel up to 8,800 miles.
Originally built to carry nuclear warheads during the Cold War, it replaced the Convair B-36. The plane has remained active in service since 1955 and as of 2015, 58 were still in active service with 18 in reserve.
Ilyushin Il-76
This aircraft was built during the tensest moments of the Cold War and still remains active to this day. In fact, there are 1,000 of them in operation around the world.
Originally developed for the USSR, the Ilyushin II-76 was a multi-purpose, four-engine turbofan airlifter that was supposed to be a commercial freighter but ended up being adopted by the Russian military. It's capable of delivering some of the heaviest machinery and military vehicles in the world.
Boeing B-29 Superfortress
Manufactured between the years 1943 and 1946, the B-29 Superfortress were designed for battle in World War II and were the single most expensive weapons project undertaken by the United States during World War II. The planes had a four-engine prop and were so effective in World War II, that they were even used in the Korean War as well.
When first being produced, it was one of the most highly technological planes in the sky with the design process being more expensive than the Manhattan Project.
HK-1
The HK 1, or the "Spruce Goose" as it was more widely known, was originally meant to be a transatlantic transport aircraft during the Second World War.
The U.S. military ended up only flying it once in 1947, and only one prototype was ever built. It's now on display at the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum.
Boeing C-17 Globemaster III
The C-17 Globemaster III is one of the biggest military planes to hit the skies. The Globemaster III was first delivered in 1991 and was produced up until 2015 before it was discontinued. The per-unit cost was about $218 million and was created by McDonnell Douglas.
It was used for strategic and tactical airlift missions that would often include airdrops of heavy machinery or people and immediate medical evacuations. This thing is an absolute beast.
Lockheed C-5 Galaxy
The C-5 Galaxy provides the U.S. Air Force with a heavy intercontinental airlift capable of easily carrying oversized loads.
It's one of the largest military aircraft in the world and is extremely expensive to build. It remains active today but was originally introduced in 1970.
Messerschmitt ME 323
The Messerschmitt ME 323 or "Giant" was a German military transport aircraft that was in use during World War II. During the war, a total of 213 of them were made with a few of them being modified from their ME 321 predecessors.
The planes were designed and built in preparation for the German invasion of Great Britain known as Operation Sea Lion. The Germans needed to carry tanks, vehicles, and weapons across to England and needed to construct a plane that could carry as much as possible.
Airbus Beluga
The Airbus A300-600ST nicknamed the "Beluga," is a wide-body airliner that has been modified to carry aircraft parts and oversized cargo that most other planes wouldn't have been able to fit.
It has a payload bay that is 124 feet long, which allows it to carry almost 52 tons.
Myasishchev VM-T
For the Myasishchev VM-T, the VM-T stands for Vladimir Myasishchev - Transport. It is a variant of the Myasishchev M-4 bomber that has been modified to act as a strategic-airlift airplane. Some modifications that were made were to carry rocket boosters and the Soviet space shuttles that are a part of the Buran program.
The design came into reality in 1978 and was first flown in 1981, making its first flight with cargo in 1982. Over time, they were eventually replaced by Antonov's An-225.
NASA Super Guppy
This was the very first aircraft to be made by Aero Spacelines. The plane was designed for cargo and was the successor to the Pregnant Guppy, and all Super Guppys currently remain in service.
There have been five planes built in two different variants of the Guppy aircraft which have been referred to as "Super Guppy."
The Scaled Composites Stratolaunch
The Scales Composite Stratolaunch is an aircraft that was announced back in 2011 and was finally unveiled in May 2017. It was designed by Scaled Composites for Stratolaunch Systems with the intention to be able to carry air launch to orbit rockets.
It is the largest plane by wingspan and is comparable to the size of an American football field. It can carry a 250-ton payload for a 590-ton maximum take-off weight. It is scheduled for its first launch demonstration sometime in 2019.
Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker
The KC-135 Stratotanker was used a lot during the Vietnam War for the Americans and would become a huge strategic benefit in Operation Desert Storm.
The 136 ft aircraft became revolutionary in that it was the United States Air Force's first-ever jet-powered refueling tanker.
Airbus A380-800
Although it isn't technically a military aircraft, the Airbus A380-800 is too large of a plane not to be discussed. Although it has the capability to carry up to 850 passengers, the double-decker aircraft usually only carry around 450 to 550 passengers at a time.
It is commonly utilized by the United Arab Emirates with Airbus being surprised that they haven't sold as many yet as they initially anticipated. It is still unclear whether they will be kept on the market.
Martin JRM Mars
The Martin JRM Mars is a four-engine seaplane, which was the largest seaplane that was used by the Americans and other Allied forces during WWII.
There were only seven built, and four of them transitioned into civilian use after the war was over, but those models have since been retired.
