U.S. AIR FORCE
The marvel of flight never ceases to amaze, and the spectacle is that much more unbelievable when the aircraft are longer than Olympic pools, heavier than the biggest tanks, and taller than 5-story buildings. Here are the most monstrous planes flying today.
Antonov An-225 Mriya
VASILIY KOBA/WIKIMEDIA
By most metrics, the Antonov An-225 is the biggest plane in the world. Only one of these monster cargo aircraft was built by the Antonov Design Bureau in Ukrainian SSR in the 1980s. It was designed to carry the Buran spaceplane, the Soviet version of the space shuttle, as well as Energia rocket boosters, but the plane quickly found other airlifting work after being refurbished following the collapse of the Soviet space program.
It is the heaviest aircraft ever built, with a maximum takeoff weight of 710 tons. It holds the record for total airlifted payload at 559,580 pounds, as well as airlifted single-item payload at 418,830 pounds. It's has the longest wingspan of any plane currently flying at 290 feet. It's got six freakin engines. The An-225 is a monster among planes.
Aero Spacelines Super Guppy
NASA/TOM TSCHIDA
A guppy might be prey, but the Super Guppy is a monster. The bloated aircraft has been retired by every institution in the world save one—NASA. The U.S. space agency finds the Guppy's wide dimensions perfect for transporting spacecraft and rocket components.
The first Super Guppy was constructed from a ballooned fuselage taken from a Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter, taking to the skies in 1965. The turboprop cargo plane was largely replaced by the Airbus Beluga for large and awkwardly shaped cargo delivery, but as long as NASA still has a use for the Super Guppy, it will continue to baffle people in the sky—and NASA loves the Super Guppy.
Lockheed C-5 Galaxy
With a payload capacity of almost 135 tons, the C-5 Galaxy is the largest aircraft routinely operated by the U.S. military. The Air Force announced that it was reactivating the monster airlifer in May 2017.
The C-5 has enough cargo space to carry two M1 Abrams tanks, 16 Humvees, 3 Black Hawks, or a variety of other vehicles. Without cargo, the C-5 can fly up to 7,000 miles without refueling, making it the longest range military airlifter in the world. When the Air Force needs a lot of tonnage moved quickly, the C-5 is what it turns to.