A size comparison of four of the largest aircraft. Click to enlarge. This is a list of notably large aircraft. [clarification needed]
Contents [hide] 1 Fixed-wing o 1.1 Civilian o 1.2 Military o 1.3 Experimental/proposed 2 Helicopters and rotary wing aircraft 3 Airships 4 See also 5 References Fixed-wing [edit] Civilian [edit] Aircraft First flight Note Antonov An-225 Mriya 21 December 1988 Generally acknowledged as the largest airplane in the world, the Antonov An-225 is the world's heaviest aircraft ever (max. takeoff weight greater than 640 tons) and the largest aerodyne (in length and wingspan) ever entering operational service. Airbus A340-600 23 April 2001 World's second longest passenger aircraft at 75.36m. [1]
Airbus A380 27 April 2005 Largest mass-produced aircraft in the world and the highest- capacity passenger aircraft Antonov An-124 1982 The second largest mass-produced aircraft in the world since the Airbus A380 was produced. Remains the World's largest military aircraft. Antonov An-22 27 February 1965 World's largest turboprop-powered airplane Boeing 747 9 February 1969 Highest-capacity passenger aircraft until surpassed by Airbus A380 Boeing 747-8 8 February 2010 (F variant) World's longest passenger aircraft at 76.3m. [2]
Boeing 747 LCF(Dreamlifter) 9 September 2006 747 with enlarged fuselage for 787 parts transport (65,000 cubic feet) TupolevMaxsim Gorki 19 May 1934 Physically the largest aircraft, and heaviest land-based aircraft of the 1930s era (63 meter/206.7 ft wingspan, 53 tonne MTOW), required eight 900 hp Mikulin V12 engines Aircraft First flight Note for flight Dornier Do X 12 July 1929 Largest successful flying boat and heaviest aircraft in the world from 1929 until 1942 when the even heavier Boeing B-29 Superfortress first flew. Military [edit] Aircraft First flight Note Blohm + Voss BV 238 11 March 1944 Largest aircraft in the world 1944 to 1946 when the even heavier Convair B-36 first flew. Very large flying boat. Boeing B-29 Superfortress 21 September 1942 Largest aircraft in the world from 1942 to 1943 when the even heavier Junkers Ju-390 first flew. It was one of the largest bombers used during World War II Convair B-36 Peacemaker 8 August 1946 Largest aircraft in the world 1946 to 1947 when the even heavier Hughes H-4 Hercules first flew. First intercontinental strategic bomber, longest wingspan for a combat aircraft Convair XC-99 23 November 1947 Developed from B-36, largest piston-engined land-based transport aircraft ever built Kawanishi January 1941 Largest WWII aircraft produced by Japan in any quantity Linke-Hofmann R.II 1919 Largest aircraft ever to fly with only one propeller, used largest airplane propellor ever used. Aircraft First flight Note Lockheed C-5 Galaxy 30 June 1968 Largest USAF strategic airlifter and one of the largest military aircraft in the world Martin JRM Mars 1941 Largest flying boat to enter production (7 built) Messerschmitt Me 323 "Gigant" 1941 Biggest land-based cargo airplane during World War II Myasishchev VM- T 1981 Derivative of the M-4 as outsized cargo aircraft Tupolev Tu-160 18 December 1981 Heaviest combat aircraft ever built Zeppelin Staaken R.VI Circa 1917 Largest aircraft to see regular squadron service in World War I Experimental/proposed [edit] Aircraft First flight [Note 1]
Note Airbus A380-900 2006 development Announced in 2006 as a derivative of the Airbus A380- 800. World's highest-capacity passenger aircraft in history Beriev Be-2500 1980s proposal Would be the largest aircraft ever, if built; development started in the 1980s Aircraft First flight [Note 1]
Note Boeing Pelican 1990s proposal Concept only Boeing 2707SST 1960s design. A mockup was built but no prototype. Planned as an answer to the European Concorde Supersonic Transport. At 306 feet (93 m) long it would have been one of the longest airframes ever flown. Problems with the weight of the swing-wing mechanism and air friction heating in Mach 3 flight provoked a drastic redesign, by which time airline interest in SSTs was dropping because of environmental concerns. The U.S. Congress cut government funding and airlines began canceling orders. McDonnell Douglas MD-12 1990 proposal Proposed passenger aircraft, Designed to compete with the A380 and the 747, canceled project Hughes H-4 Hercules"Spruce Goose" 1947, 2 November Largest aircraft in the world 1947 to 1952 when the even heavier Boeing B-52 Stratofortress first flew. World's largest flying boat, and largest wingspan of any aircraft. Only one was ever built and it performed only one short flight. Junkers Ju 390 1943, 20 October Largest aircraft in the world 1943 to 1944 when the even heavier Blohm & Voss BV 238 first flew. Selected and further developed as the Junkers firm's entry for the Amerika Bomber design contract. Sukhoi KR-860 1990s proposal KR-860 (Kryl'ya Rossii or Wings of Russia) early named as SKD-717 is super large transport aircraft with weights about 650 tonnes (Antonov An-225 weight is 600 tonnes), payload about 300 tonnes (An-225 payload is 250 tonnes) and 860 to 1000 passengers, a proposed Double decker wide-body Superjumbo jet by Russian aerospace company Sukhoi. Aircraft First flight [Note 1]
Note Stratolaunch Carrier Aircraft 2011, 13 December Announcement a proposed aircraft being developed by Scaled Composites to provide air-launch capability for Stratolaunch Systems 1. ^ For designs that never flew the year of design or conception is used instead. Helicopters and rotary wing aircraft [edit]
Aeroflot Mil V-12 at Groningen Airport in May 1971. Aircraft First flight [Note 1]
Note Mil Mi-26 1977, 14 December Heaviest (56 tonnes), largest and most powerful helicopter in production ever. Hughes XH-17 1952 Protoype heavy-lift helicopter with the largest rotor (129 ft) flown V-22 Osprey 1989, 19 March One of the largest (27 tonnes) VTOL aircraft and the first operational tiltrotor Mil Mi-10 1960, 15 June Heavy-lift "skycrane" developed from Mi-6, 114 ft rotor, 43 tonne MTOW Aircraft First flight [Note 1]
Note Mil V-12 or Mi-12 1968, 10 July Largest helicopter ever built; not put into production. 2x 114 ft rotors, 105 tonnes MTOW. Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion 1981 At 33 tonnes, largest helicopter in service with the US armed forces 1. ^ For designs that never flew the year of design or conception is used instead. Airships [edit]
Hindenburg class airship compared to largest fixed wing aircraft. Aircraft First flight [Note 1]
Note HM Airship R100 1929, 16 December 220 m, 146,000 m3 HM Airship R101 1929, 14 October 236 m, 156,000 m3 R102 Planned Also known as Project H, planned 240,000 m3 airship USS Akron 1931, 8 August 239 m, 180,000 m3 US Navy airship and largest helium-filled airship. Aircraft First flight [Note 1]
Note USS Macon 1933, 23 June Sister ship to Akron LZ 129 Hindenburg 1936, March 4, 245 m, 200,000 m3 Largest aircraft ever flown. LZ130 Graf Zeppelin 1938, 14 September Sister ship to LZ 129 Hindenburg 1. ^ For designs that never flew the year of design or conception is used instead.