Lockheed Martins C-130 is cleaning up in the military transport market, Source: Wikimedia Commons

Top 10 Most Popular Military Transport Aircraft in the World

Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules

The most popular military transport on the planet, Lockheeds C-130 commands a 22% global market share.
Globally, there are 1,131 planes in service.
Source: Wikimedia Commons

Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker

Primarily an aerial refueling aircraft, Boeing's KC-135 can carry 40 tons of cargo in its capacious hold.
470 are in service today, making KC-135 the second most popular transport/ tanker in the world, with 9% global market share.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Beechcraft King Air

Smaller than the market leaders, Beechcrafts King Air is the world's most popular small turboprop. 269 are in service, giving King Air a 5% market share.
Source: Wikimedia Commons

Boeing C-17 Globemaster III

The most expensive military transport on the market at $200M, Boeing's C17 must be giving customers their money's worth. How else could it claim the No. 4 slot? 246 Globemasters are in service -- 5% of the global fleet.
Source: Wikimedia Commons

Antonov An-26
Nearly as popular as the C-130 in its heyday, An-24 and An-26 transports built by Ukraine's Antonov design bureau retain a 4% market share.
221 units in service today.
Source: Wikimedia Commons

Airbus CN-235
Airbus calls its CN235 "the lowest cost tactical airlifter. 20 militaries use it -including the U.S. Coast Guard. 219 units in service give this plane a 4% market share.
Source: Wikimedia Commons

Ilyushin Il-76
The workhorse of the mid-1970s Red Army, the Il-76 and has been upgraded several times over the past 40 years, and retain some popularity globally.
165 units are in use, giving the aircraft a 3% global market share.
Source: Wikimedia Commons

Antonov An-32
Derived from its popular An-26, Antonov's An-32 is valued for its ability to lift off in tropical and high-altitude environments.
152 are in use around the world today, commanding a respectable 3% market share.
Source: Wikimedia Commons

Transall Allianz C-160

Popular in Germany and France (which built it in the 1960s) -- the Transall C-160 still has 127 units in service.
On the list of the most popular military transports, that ties it for 2% share, and 10th place with ....
Source: Wikimedia Commons

Cessna 208 Caravan

Textrons Cessna has built more than 1,700 Caravans since introducing the plane in 1985.
111 military variants are still in use today, giving Cessna a 2% global market share.
Source: Wikimedia Commons

And so, in military transports as in fighter jets, America -- and American planemakers continue to dominate the market.
Boasting five of the top 10 most popular military transport aircraft in the world, U.S. planemakers Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Beechcraft, and Textron build four out of every 10 transports in use anywhere on the globe today. They build planes for every purpose, from passenger and cargo transport to aerial refueling, and at every price range -- from a mere $2 million for the Cessna 208, to well over $200 million for Boeing's C-17. And as prospects for stock investment go, they're top of the heap.

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