The development of the world of aerospace and aircraft never stops and continues to grow. Apart from developing in terms of technology, huma...
The development of the world of aerospace and aircraft never stops and continues to grow. Apart from developing in terms of technology, humans also have ambitions to create giant airplanes. Launching Popular Mechanics, here are the five largest airplanes ever made by man.
1. Antonov An-225 Mriya
The Antonov An-225 Mriya is the largest aircraft in the world. The Antonov Design Bureau only built one of these monster cargo planes. The work of the Soviet Union engineers before the end of the Early War era was indeed famous. So far only one Antonov An-255 Mriya has been built. Its wingspan alone can reach 84 meters. This size is larger than the length of five container trucks. The plane is named Mriya which means dream in Ukrainian. In 1988, the aircraft made its maiden flight. In total, the An-225 can carry cargo with a total weight of 253,820 kilograms.
Due to its large size, this aircraft holds 240 records at once, including as the heaviest cargo transportation. When Mriya was declared a success, the Soviet Union at that time decided to build three more An-225s. Construction of the second aircraft began in 1989, sadly history interfered. In 1991 the Soviet Union collapsed and the country's aerospace programs collapsed with it. In the midst of chaos after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the production of the second aircraft was delayed. China is aiding Antonov's efforts to complete the project in 2019, but it seems that this plan is not going well. In 2020, the giant plane joined the global fight against Covid-19 to deliver supplies to countries around the world.
2. Aero Spacelines Super Guppy
The Super Guppy is the spacecraft that NASA uses to move the components of its large spacecraft. This aircraft made its first operations in the 1960s. The Super Guppy has a length of 43.84 meters, a wingspan of 47.63 meters and a height of 14.78 meters. The Super Guppy is built from the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter, which first flew in 1965. The Super Guppy is the only aircraft in the world to have carried components of the S-IVB, the third stage of the Saturn V rocket. This unique aircraft also performs operations. several times during the Apollo program.
3. Lockheed C-5 Galaxy
The C-5 Galaxy is a large, high-winged military transport aircraft built by Lockheed Martin. With a payload capacity of nearly 135 tons, the Galaxy C-5 is the largest aircraft routinely operated by the US military since 1969. The US Air Force announced it would reactivate the space monster in May 2017. The C-5 Galaxy has enough cargo space to carry two an M1 Abrams tank, 16 Humvees, three Black Hawk helicopters, or various other vehicles. Without cargo, the C-5 Galaxy can fly up to 7,000 miles without refueling, making it the world's longest-range military transport aircraft.
4. Boeing 747 Dreamlifter
In the early 2000s, the Boeing company felt the need for a cargo plane with enormous storage space. It is intended to transport components of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner because its parts are manufactured worldwide. Finally, Boeing built a jumbo-sized cargo plane based on the 747-400 747 and created a special cargo space. The Boeing 747 Large Cargo Freighter (LCF) or Dreamlifter was created. This aircraft has a length of 71.68 meters, a wingspan of 64.4 meters and a height of 21.54 meters.
On September 16, 2006, the first Dreamlifter arrived at Boeing Field, Seattle, USA to complete a flight test program. The second Dreamlifter made its maiden flight test on February 16, 2007. The third aircraft began to be modified in 2007. The first two Dreamlifters entered service in 2007 to support the final assembly of the first Boeing 787. This Boeing-made Dreamlifter uses a long cargo loader and is capable of carrying a payload of up to 125 tons.
5. Antonov An-124 Ruslan
The Antonov Design Bureau, which is now the Antonov Aeronautical Scientist/Technical Complex, designed a space monster called the An-124 Ruslan. This aircraft was introduced in 1984, during the Soviet Union era, and became one of the largest and heaviest cargo aircraft in the world. The An-124 Ruslan was operated by the Russian Air Force for almost 30 years.
This aircraft has a length of 69.1 meters and a wingspan of 73.3 meters with a height of 21.08 meters. With a reported payload capacity of 165 tonnes, the An-124 Ruslan can carry a lot more than the Galaxy C-5, although the range is not very long. An-124 Ruslan is also one of the technological masterpieces of the Soviet era that still survives today.
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