Antonov developed it to transport the Buran spaceplane (the Soviet counterpart of the space shuttle) as well as Energia rocket launchers, but after being renovated following the demise of the Soviet space program, the plane rapidly found other airlifting business. With a maximum takeoff weight of 710 tons, the An-225 is the largest aircraft ever built. It holds the total airlifted payload record of 559,580 pounds, as well as the airlifted single-item payload record of 418,830 pounds. It has the 290-foot-longest wingspan of any plane currently in flight, as well as six engines. ¹⁾

Except for NASA, every organization in the world has retired the bloated airplane. The Guppy's large proportions are ideal for transporting spacecraft and rocket components, according to the US space agency. The first Super Guppy was built from the expanded fuselage of a Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter, which flew for the first time in 1965. ²⁾

The C-5 Galaxy is the largest aircraft commonly used by the United States military, with a payload capacity of about 135 tons. In May 2017, the Air Force announced the reactivation of the monster airlifer. The C-5 can travel up to 7,000 miles without refueling, making it the world's longest-range military airlifter. The C-5 is used by the Air Force when a large amount of tonnage needs to be moved swiftly. ³⁾

In the 2000s, Boeing discovered that it need a cargo plane with massive storage capacity to transfer components for the 787 Dreamliner, which has parts manufactured all over the world. The idea was to create a special cargo container around its largest airliner, the 747. The Dreamlifter boasts the world's largest cargo hold, at 65,000 cubic meters and capable of transporting three times the volume of a 747-400F freighter. ⁴⁾

The Russian Air Force operates the world's largest military aircraft, the An-124 Ruslan. Apart from the sole An-225, the An-124 was the world's largest and heaviest freight aircraft for nearly 30 years after its introduction in 1984. In 2011, the 747-8F surpassed the An-124. The An-124, with a capacity of 150 tons, can transport even more than the C-5 Galaxy, however its range isn't as long.⁵⁾

The B-52 was initially used in combat in 1955, and the first B-52H, the current type, appeared in 1961. The B-52 bomber is the air force's granddad, aged but yet capable of packing a powerful punch. The BUFF (Big Ugly Fat F***er) is capable of transporting 60,000 pounds of armaments, ranging from precision-guided conventional bombs to nuclear warheads. ⁶⁾

Similar to the Dreamlifter, the Airbus A300-600 Super Transporter, sometimes known as the Beluga, was specially built to transfer huge and difficult aircraft parts. The aircraft, which entered service in 1995, primarily superseded the Super Guppy, providing European demand for big air cargo. Airbus engineers in nations such as the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Spain designed and produced various components of the craft. Its 124-foot-long payload bay can hold over 47 tons. ⁷⁾

The plane is enormous. It's 206 feet long and has the world's largest cross section of any freight plane. The huge plane is kept aloft by two Rolls-Royce Trent 700 turbofan engines. ⁸⁾

The planes have operated as the world's largest passenger and cargo aircraft, a military command center in the sky, Air Force One, and NASA's space shuttle lifter and infrared telescope flier. In addition, Iron Maiden has one named Ed Force One. ⁹⁾

The primary workhorse is the C-17 Globemaster. The aircraft first flew in 1991, and 279 Globemasters have been manufactured since then. The C-17 airlifter has a payload capacity of 75 tons and can fly operations all over the world transporting personnel and goods, performing airlifts and medical evacuations, and flying airdrop routes.¹⁰⁾

The Airbus A380 is the European 747, and the A380-800 is the world's largest passenger airplane, seating 850 people. It flies some of the world's longest routes. ¹¹⁾

The McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender is the world's largest fuel capacity tanker aircraft. With a 164-foot wingspan, the aircraft can transport a vast amount of fuel—52,250 gallons. ¹²⁾

Paul Allen's Stratolaunch is a beast of a plane. The composite six-engine, twin-fuselage aircraft boasts the world's largest wingspan: 385 feet from tip to tip. Stratolaunch's wings would extend a further 12.5 feet through the goalposts on both sides if it were positioned on a football field. The plane is designed to take rockets into the stratosphere and drop them there, where they will launch into space. ¹³⁾

The Tupolev Tu-160 is the world's largest and heaviest supersonic and combat aircraft. The aircraft is also the largest variable-geometry “swing wing” aircraft. The Tu-160 (NATO code: Blackjack) has a wing span of 183 feet. Only 36 of the planes were ever constructed. The Tu-160, designed by the Soviet Union, first flew in 1981 and went on to set 44 world records. It was the last bomber built for the Soviet Union. ¹⁴⁾