The most spacious passenger aircraft. Three of the world's largest aircraft. Largest serial heavyweight

Ever since people learned to design flying vehicles, they began to be used to transport heavy and bulky cargo. Over the history of aeronautics, many transport aircraft have been created that impress with their enormous size. In today's selection we present to your attention the 11 largest cargo aircraft in the world.

11 PHOTOS

An-225 on this moment is the largest aircraft in the world, it has an ultra-high payload capacity and can lift about 250 tons into the air. The An-225 was originally designed and built to transport components of the Energia launch vehicle and the Buran reusable spacecraft.

This transport aircraft is a modified Boeing version 747, it was built and used exclusively for transporting parts Boeing aircraft 787. A special feature of Dreamlifter is its unusual appearance.

The Super Guppy cargo plane was produced in five copies and today only one of them is in use. It is owned by NASA and is used to deliver large cargo and spacecraft parts.

The An-124 is a heavy military transport aircraft for long-distance transport, the largest of all serial commercial cargo aircraft in the world. It was developed primarily for air transportation launchers of intercontinental ballistic missiles, as well as for transporting heavy military equipment. The carrying capacity of the An-124 is 120 tons. Aircraft maintenance can only be carried out in a special hangar built for the company that owns the An-124 from metal structures (a similar principle http://ctcholding.kz/uslugi/bystrovozvodimye-zdaniya/iz-metallokonstruktsij/promyshlennye-zdaniya).

American military transport aircraft, second in terms of payload capacity after the An-124. The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is capable of carrying six helicopters or two large tanks in its cargo bay. The total weight that the aircraft can transport is more than 118 tons.

Jet cargo aircraft for transporting large cargo, which was developed on the basis of Airbus series A300. The main purpose of creating the A300-600ST is to replace transport aircraft Super Guppy. Beluga owes its name to its body shape, which resembles a beluga whale. The Beluga's carrying capacity is 47 tons.

Soviet-made heavy transport aircraft, the largest turboprop aircraft in the world. Currently, the aircraft is used by the Russian Air Force and the Ukrainian cargo airline Antonov Airlines. The carrying capacity of the An-22 is 60 tons.

The C-17 Globemaster III is one of the most common military transport aircraft of the US Air Force and is still in use today. The aircraft is designed to transport military equipment and troops, as well as perform tactical missions. The C-17's carrying capacity is more than 76 tons.

The A400M Atlas was designed and built as an international project for the air forces of France, Germany, Italy, Great Britain and several other countries. It is a four-engine turboprop aircraft with a payload capacity of up to 37 tons.

Twin-engine military transport aircraft Air Force Japanese self-defense aircraft, created as a replacement for the Kawasaki C-1 and Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft. The C-1's lifting capacity is 37 and a half tons.

“The desire to fly is an idea passed down to us by our ancestors, who, in their grueling off-road journeys in prehistoric times, looked with envy at the birds soaring freely through space, at full speed, without any obstacles on the endless road of air,” once Wilbur Wright said.

Could the Wright brothers, back in 1903, imagine what their idea of controlled flight in the air would turn into? Now you won’t surprise anyone with supersonic planes and winged colossuses capable of transporting not only people, but also heavy equipment.

Well, we may not be able to fly like birds, but if we want, we can fly on one of the the most large aircraft in the world. Choose which of these giants you like best.

Role: multi-role aircraft.

Developer: KB Tupolev, USSR.

This aircraft, created at the Voronezh Aviation Plant in 1934, became the largest aircraft of its time. Its wingspan reached 63 meters, and its maximum take-off weight was 42,000 kg. The ANT-20 was served by a staff of 5 people, and the aircraft could carry 48 passengers.

When "dad" The Little Prince Antoine de Saint-Exupéry came to the USSR and flew on the ANT-20. But the life of this model was short-lived. In 1935, during a demonstration flight, the aircraft took off together with the I-5 fighter, which was supposed to demonstrate the difference in size for newsreels. While performing aerobatic maneuvers, the I-5 entered the “Nesterov loop”, lost speed and crashed onto the ANT-20 from above. He, in turn, began to fall apart in the sky and fell on suburban village Falcon.

As a result of this accident, 49 people died. At the Novodevichy cemetery there is a memorial topped with a huge granite bas-relief of the crashed plane.

Role: transport plane.

Developer: Boeing.

An aircraft unsurpassed in terms of fuselage capacity. The volume of its transport compartment is 1840 cubic meters. It is used strictly to transport parts of the Boeing 787 aircraft, which are designed by third-party suppliers. A total of 4 Dreamlifters were put into operation.

The Boeing 747 LCF is unprepossessing in appearance and has even been compared to the Wienermobile, a bun-shaped car used to promote and advertise Oscar Mayer products in the United States. And Boeing CEO Scott Carson jokingly apologized to Joe Sutter, head of the Boeing 747 development team, for what he did to his plane.

Role: passenger airliner.

Developer: Boeing.

Boeing knows how to develop aircraft that set records. Here 747-8 became the longest by passenger plane in the world. Its length is 76.4 meters.

The Boeing 747-8 is a representative of the new generation of the Boeing 747 series (eighth on our list). It features a longer fuselage, an improved wing and greater economic efficiency.

Role: passenger airliner.

Developer: Boeing.

Once upon a time, when asked what the largest aircraft in the world is in terms of passenger capacity, the designers of the double-deck Boeing 747 proudly answered: “Ours”! Depending on the modification, the aircraft can accommodate up to 624 passengers on board. But then the Airbus A380 appeared and displaced the Boeing 747 from the pedestal of the most spacious aircraft.

If you watched Casino Royale with Daniel Craig as James Bond, you may remember the SkyFleet S570 airliner that terrorists wanted to blow up. This airliner was a Boeing 747-236B, which was built in 1980 and flew until 2002. A worthy end to a career.

And one of the Boeing 747s is connected largest air disasters in the world. It occurred in 1977 on the island of Tenerife. In fog, two Boeing 747s collided with each other on the runway, killing 583 people.

Role: transport plane.

Developer: OKB im. O.K. Antonova.

This winged machine, named Antaeus in honor of the invincible giant from ancient Greek myths, is still the world's largest turboprop aircraft.

Transportation of cargo during the war in Afghanistan and during the liquidation of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, transportation of refugees and military personnel from countries of Eastern Europe and neighboring countries - this is not the complete “track record” of the An-22. And in one of the passenger flights organized during the air bridge between Egypt and the Soviet Union in 1972, Antey set a record, taking almost 700 people on board. This is a real hard worker, reliable and unpretentious in operation.

Role: transport plane.

Developer: OKB im. O.K. Antonova.

The top five largest aircraft in the world is opened by a Soviet design, which, until the advent of the Airbus A380 (number four on the list), was considered the largest commercially produced aircraft.

However, no one has yet taken away the title of “largest military aircraft” from the An-124, as well as the title of the world’s most load-bearing serial transport aircraft.

And although the production of “Ruslan”, as Oleg Konstantinovich Antonov called this aircraft, has now been suspended, the existing fleet of aircraft will be modernized. This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov in July 2018.

Role: passenger liner.

Developer: Airbus.

The largest passenger aircraft in the world (of mass-produced ones) and one of largest aircraft on the ground. When you watch a video of one of the largest aircraft in the world, it’s hard to believe that such a colossus is capable of taking off.

The Airbus A380 is capable of carrying up to 853 passengers in economy class configuration. By comparison, the A380's main competitor, the Boeing 747 passenger airliner, carries only 624 people in full economy class configuration.

It's not just airlines that own the luxurious Airbus A380. By order of the Saudi Prince Al-Walid ibn Talal, a private jet was built, which cost the owner $488 million.

Role: passenger liner.

Developer: Airbus.

It is the largest member of the Airbus A340 family and the third longest aircraft in the world (75.36 meters). Aircraft like the Airbus A340 were produced until November 2011, but could not withstand the competition with the Boeing 777. However, they still carry out passenger transportation in various countries around the world.

It is curious that during the entire period of operation (since 1993), only five A340 aircraft were lost. However, not a single passenger or crew member died.

Role: cargo airplane.

Developer: OKB im. O.K. Antonova.

It is the largest transport aircraft ever built. Its maximum take-off weight is 640 tons and its payload capacity is 250 tons.

The An-225 is capable of transporting on its fuselage vehicles, construction and military equipment and other large cargo to different parts of the world. But this giant was intended for a different, much more ambitious purpose. It was created as part of the Buran reusable spacecraft project. It was assumed that the An-225 would transport Buran components and the launch vehicle from the place of creation and assembly to the launch site.

The first flight of the Mriya (dream in Ukrainian) took place in December 1988, carrying a Buran weighing sixty tons. However, after the collapse of the USSR, the “dream” was left without work. It began to be used again (after appropriate modernization) only in 2000, for commercial transportation.

And more recently, in September 2018, the giant aircraft set a new record by making a thirteen-hour non-stop flight from the Ukrainian Gostomel to the American Oakland Airport. He covered a distance of 9800 km.

Role: carrier aircraft.

Developer: Scaled Composites.

This huge plane will not carry regular cargo. Rather, it will serve as another way to deliver objects, namely satellites, into the stratosphere before launching them into space orbit. This type of transport will be more reliable and less expensive than traditional rockets.

Unlike the most big plane in the world - the Ukrainian "Mriya" - the American Stratolaunch does not yet fly. Its first demonstration took place in May 2017. In terms of wingspan - 117.3 meters, it is much superior to the An-225 (88.4 meters, respectively). For now Stratolaunch - the aircraft with the largest wingspan in the world.

However, the American is inferior to its Ukrainian “colleague” in terms of maximum take-off weight (589,670 kg and 640,000 kg, respectively) and length (73 meters for Stratolaunch versus 84 meters for the An-225).

The exact dates for new Stratolaunch tests are still unknown. Engineers hope the aircraft will enter service within the next 10 years.

Once upon a time, a person could only dream of conquering heights and flying like a bird. With the invention of airplanes, the dream of learning to fly became feasible. Moreover, modern aircraft are so amazing and high-tech that sometimes it seems that there are no limits to human thought. That is why this material will be devoted to the story of the largest and fastest aircraft in the world.

The largest passenger planes in the world

Airbus A380 - a flying giant

It is considered that the largest aircraft for passenger transportation is an Airbus A380. This double-decker giant has the following dimensions:

The height of the liner is 24 meters;
the giant's wingspan reaches almost 80 meters;
The length of this flying giant is 73 meters.

It is also worth noting that this flying giant can accommodate 555 passengers on board. Moreover, the charter type of such aircraft can accommodate 853 passengers.

A distinctive feature of the Airbus A380 is that it can fly 15 thousand kilometers without landing. It is also worth noting that this passenger aircraft is very economical compared to aircraft of its class. Fuel consumption per 3 passengers and 100 kilometers is only 3 liters.

The developers of this model spent 10 years creating it. Costs of implementing the idea of creating a large passenger plane also worthy of respect. Thus, more than 12 billion euros were spent to create the Airbus A380.

Interestingly, this model was first developed as an alternative version of the Boeing 747, which was considered the largest passenger aircraft for 35 years before the advent of the Airbus A-380. However, the appearance of the Airbus A380 immediately “moved” Boeing from the winner’s podium. So, if we compare these two giants, the Airbus A380 is more economical, since the Boeing can seat no more than 400 passengers, and its cost is about 15 percent more expensive.

It is noteworthy that the developers themselves large airliner We were also able to significantly reduce weight aircraft. Interestingly, the Airbus A380 consists of almost 40 percent graphite. Thus, the fuselage and wings of the aircraft are made from this material. The cost of this flying giant is 390 million dollars (!).

Other large passenger aircraft also include:

Boeing 747-8
This airliner is a new product from one of the leading manufacturers of aircraft, military and space equipment. The advantages of this flying giant include an elongated fuselage, which makes it the longest passenger aircraft in the world.
Airbus A340-600
This flying “monster” is another large representative of the Airbus family of aircraft. The two-class configuration of such an airliner can accommodate about 420 people on board, and the three-class configuration can accommodate 380 passengers on board.
Boeing 747
This flying giant held the lead among the largest passenger airliners for 35 years (from 1969 to 2005). For the first time in the world, this aircraft was able to fly non-stop from London to the capital of Australia, Sydney. At the same time, he flew a distance of 18 thousand kilometers in just over 20 hours.
Boeing 777-300ER
This airliner is also a modification of its predecessor. In addition to its impressive size, this giant also has the most innovative modifications. This is what made this aircraft very economical among the largest airliners in the world.
Airbus A330
This large airliner also has a number of very successful modifications, but the sad statistics do not indicate its best feature. Thus, from 1994 to 2010, 6 crashes of such aircraft were registered.

The largest cargo planes in the world

Of course, the Ukrainian An-225 Mriya is considered the largest cargo-lifting aircraft in the world. This flying “monster” was developed during 1984-1988 at the Antonov Aviation Complex. The first flight of this aircraft took place on December 21, 1988.

This giant is equipped with a six-engine turbojet high-wing aircraft, which has a 2-fin “tail” and an arrow-shaped wing. The Mriya was based on its predecessor, the An-124. An interesting fact is that the development of Mriya was closely connected with the Soviet space program Buran, since a powerful lifting transport was required that could transport launch vehicle parts from the assembly site to the cosmodrome itself. The task for the developers was to create an aerial lifting vehicle that could lift at least 250 tons into the sky at a time. This is exactly how the giant Mriya was created.

The main characteristics of the An-225 Mriya cargo compartment are as follows:

the width of this cargo airliner is almost 6.5 meters;
the height of the giant reaches almost 4.5 meters;
The length of the aircraft is 43 meters.

In addition to these characteristics, the Mriya can comfortably accommodate 88 people to accompany the cargo, and the crew cabin is designed for 6 people.

It is noteworthy that all control systems have 4-fold duplication.

General characteristics of the aircraft:

the width from one wing to the other is almost 89 (!) meters;
the height of this giant reaches 18 meters, which is equal to the height of a five-story building.

Today there is only one such aircraft in the world. The designer of the aviation complex plans to complete the construction of Antonov’s twin brother “Mriya”. It is believed that its readiness is already 70 percent.

To other major cargo planes also include:

1. An-124 “Ruslan”
This aircraft is the predecessor of the Mriya. Initially, this aircraft was created to transport intercontinental ballistic missiles. However, the result obtained significantly exceeded all the designers' expectations. This giant began to be actively used to transport large-scale landing and military equipment. One such aircraft is estimated at $300 million.

2. Lockheed C-5 Galaxy

This aircraft was developed by American designers for the military transport system back in 1968. At one time, this cargo giant is capable of transporting 6 Apache helicopters, 4 infantry fighting vehicles, 2 tanks and 6 armored personnel carriers. Until 1982, this flying giant was considered the largest cargo airliner in the world.

3. Hughes H-4 Hercules

This cargo aircraft is something of a rarity, as it was developed back in 1947. This aircraft is considered the record holder for its wingspan, which is 98 meters. This record has not yet been surpassed. This 136-ton giant was created to transport 750 soldiers who would be in full equipment. It is worth noting that only one unit of this type was produced. cargo plane. Today this flying giant is a museum aircraft.

2. Boeing 747-8I

This model is a cargo-passenger aircraft that began to be produced relatively recently, namely in 2008. In terms of its parameters, it is inferior to the Ukrainian An-225 Mriya aircraft, but it differs in that it is the largest cargo aircraft in the world that was able to enter mass production. So, to date, about 76 such models have been produced. The parameters of this lifting giant include:

the length of this aircraft is almost 76 meters;
its height is almost 20 meters, which is higher than a five-story building;
The wingspan of this aircraft is almost 69 meters.

The empty weight of such an aircraft is approximately 213 thousand kilograms, and the maximum weight at which a successful takeoff is possible is 442 thousand kilograms.

In addition to cargo, this aircraft can accommodate 581 passengers in a two-class configuration, and 467 in a three-class configuration.

The fastest planes in the world

They are fast, like a bullet, as they can develop incredible speed. The fastest aircraft in the world are the following models:

Boeing X-43
This hypersonic aircraft is the fastest aircraft in the world. This drone shows simply stunning results. So, this plane can fly at a speed of 11,230 km per hour. If you imagine, this figure is almost 10 times the speed of sound.
This supermachine was designed by NASA specialists. To develop this hypersonic aircraft it took almost 10 years. The wingspan of this “nimble” is only 3.6 meters. The fuel that powers this aircraft consists of hydrogen and oxygen. At the same time, the aircraft consumes oxygen directly from the atmosphere, which made it possible to “save” on the weight of this super-fast aircraft.
Orbital Sciences Corporation X-34
This plane is also super-fast, as it is capable of reaching a speed of 12,144 kilometers per hour. However, in the ranking of the fastest aircraft in the world, it occupies second position, since during experiments its speed did not exceed the previous Boeing X-43. It is worth noting that the development of this aircraft took a quarter of a billion dollars and about 7 years. Also interesting fact is that this high-speed airliner weighs 1270 kilograms, but this does not allow it to rise to a height of more than 75 kilometers.
North American X-15
This aircraft is capable of reaching a speed of 7274 km per hour. Interestingly, the height record among supersonic aircraft stuck with this model from 1963 to 2004. This “nimble” can rise to a height of 110 kilometers, and it weighs about 15 tons.
SR-71 ("Blackbird")
This supersonic aircraft is a reconnaissance aircraft subordinate to the US Air Force. It can reach a speed of 3,715 kilometers per hour. It weighs impressively, namely 77 tons. However, the aircraft weighs only 27 tons without fuel.
Mig-25 ("Bat")
This supersonic aircraft is the fastest military jet model. Almost 30 world records were set on this aircraft. The speed at which this record holder can fly is 3395 kilometers per hour. The weight of this airliner reaches almost 41 tons during takeoff, and only 18.8 tons during landing.

The history of aviation in its modern sense goes back more than 100 years, if you do not take into account the attempts of man to fly into the air since ancient times. During this time, aircraft manufacturing has evolved from the first prototypes of the Wright brothers and other enthusiastic inventors to heavy-duty, multi-ton giants capable of carrying tons of cargo and hundreds of passengers. This article is about the 10 largest aircraft in the world.

The largest passenger aircraft in the world

The Airbus A380 holds the lead among the largest civil aircraft for transporting passengers. This is the brainchild of European Airbus. It first flew into the air with passengers in 2005 after 10 years of development and experimentation by designers.

Fact. The cost of creating the giant was almost 12 billion euros.

This expensive, but the largest passenger aircraft has the following dimensions:

height – 24.08 m;
length – 72.75 m;
wingspan - 79.75 m;
weight – 280 t.

Additional Information. Despite its impressive dimensions, the Airbus A380 is very economical and even environmentally friendly in operation - only three liters of fuel are consumed to transport one passenger over a distance of 100 kilometers. It can cover a distance of more than 15,400 meters without refueling. And the less fuel is spent, the less emissions into the atmosphere. This result was achieved thanks to the ideal design of the wing and fuselage, as well as the special material from which they are made. These engineering solutions significantly reduced the overall weight of the vessel and improved its aerodynamics.

Today, double-decker Airbus A380s accommodate 525 passengers when divided into three classes and up to 853 people with a single-class cabin configuration. However, development and testing of improved versions of the aircraft are already underway, the capacity of which should exceed 1000 people.

The Airbus A380 unseated the Boeing 747, which had held its position as the largest aircraft since the 1970s. The A380 developers have found a way to reduce production costs by 15% compared to Boeing and increase capacity by 7%.

Second largest aircraft in the world

The already mentioned Boeing 747 (Jumbo Jet) ranks honorably second in size among passenger airliners. At the time of its creation in 1969, it was the largest, heaviest and most spacious aircraft, with a length of 70.6 m.

For 36 years it was produced in various modifications, however, maintaining their main characteristics: a wide fuselage and two floors for passengers. This design gives the Jumbo Jet a recognizable hump-like silhouette, as the upper deck is significantly shorter than the lower deck.

Interesting. In the late 1960s it was believed that the future passenger aviation belongs to supersonic light aircraft, which will displace the clumsy heavyweights. Therefore, the 747 was designed with the ability to be converted into a freighter. Experts estimated the capacity of the market for spacious aircraft at no more than 400 units, but these forecasts did not come true, and in 1993 the company sold its thousandth Boeing 747. Only in our century, with the advent of the Airbus A380, demand began to fall.

In the 1970s There was a fuel crisis in the world, prices for aviation fuel skyrocketed, as did ticket prices. Companies that have a Boeing 747 in their fleet are faced with its unprofitability; the plane often flies empty. However, on particularly busy routes and on intercontinental flights, the Jumbo Jet has been and remains a popular model.

The longest passenger plane in the world

This is a record holder already from modern history aviation - Boeing 747-8, began production in 2008. It is a modification of the legendary Boeing 747, with significant modifications. The designers extended the fuselage as much as possible, redesigned the wing and worked on efficiency in operation.

The length of the Boeing 747-8 is 76.25 m, making it the longest passenger airliner in the world. However, it is also the heaviest US aircraft, its take-off weight is 447 tons, which is still considered a record in the entire history of aircraft manufacturing in America.

Characteristics:

length – 76.25 m;
height – 19.35 m;
wingspan - 68.45 m.

In addition to cargo, this aircraft can accommodate up to 581 passengers.

The most "hardy" aircraft

For the successful operation of aircraft, in addition to capacity and payload capacity, it is important how far they can travel without refueling. Today, the record holder for long-distance flights is the Boeing 777, which is capable of flying half the circumference of the Earth at a time - 20,000 km. However, this is the maximum value of the flight length; in normal practice, the distance covered is 9000-17000 km.

Interesting. The Boeing 777E is the first modern airliner to be created using computer modeling instead of paper drawings. In the early 1990s. Such technologies have become a breakthrough in the aircraft industry, since 3D modeling makes it possible to eliminate errors in the joining of parts even at the design stage.

The Boeing 777 has different modifications depending on the fuselage length and range. 777-300ER is one of the most “hardy” and popular modifications. Represents large airliner with two turbofan engines. Maximum capacity – 550 people.

As a long-haul aircraft, the Boeing 777 can stay in the air for up to 18 hours without a break. However, there is a limitation on the duration of the crew’s work shift, so there are special places in the cabin for pilots and flight attendants to sleep and rest.

Leader in wing length

The Hughes H-4 Hercules entered the TOP 10 largest aircraft in the world due to its wing size. Despite the fact that this is the oldest aircraft described here, no one has yet been able to break its record: the span reaches 98 meters.

The plane took off for the first and last time in 1947; it has a sad history of creation. At the beginning of World War II, the American government commissioned the development of a military aircraft from Hughes Aircraft under the management of Howard Hughes. However, the search for a perfect solution took a long time. Hughes could not be satisfied with the result. In addition, there was a shortage of aluminum in the world. As a result, the war ended, but there was still no plane. Only two years after the end of hostilities, the Hughes H-4 Hercules made its first flight. Surprisingly, this device was made entirely of plywood and, in fact, was a flying boat.

Specifications:

length – 66.45 m;
height – 24.08 m;
wingspan - 97.54 m;
maximum take-off weight – 180 tons.

Interesting. This “boat” could transport 750 soldiers in full uniform to the battlefield. However, in reality, her flight was limited to two kilometers above Los Angeles. After which the plane remained in the personal property of G. Hughes, who until his death annually spent a lot of money on maintaining it in working condition. After the death of the designer, the giant was sent to a museum in California to attract tourists. The film The Aviator, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, is based on the life of engineer Howard Hughes.

Not long ago (May 31, 2017), the Hughes H-4 Hercules record for wingspan was surpassed: the Stratolaunch aircraft with a wingspan of 117 meters was presented to the world. However, it has not yet made a single flight, so Hughes’ brainchild is still the leader among the models in use.

The largest cargo plane in the world

This title belongs to the An-225, designed in the USSR at the Kiev Mechanical Development Plant, at the Design Bureau named after. O. K. Antonova. The Ukrainian name for the heavy-duty truck is “Mriya” (translated as “dream”). The first flight took place in 1988.

The impetus for the creation of Mriya was the Soviet space program Buran to develop a reusable transport spacecraft. To implement ambitious plans, an aircraft with an ultra-high payload capacity was required to participate in the cargo transportation of ship components. The designed aircraft had to lift at least 250 tons at a time and have attachments for transporting external cargo.

The designers took the An-124-100 (“Ruslan”) as a basis and changed some components and parts to obtain the necessary specifications. This is how the largest transport aircraft An-225 appeared. Despite the fact that Mriya was created for very specific tasks, it has become a universal vessel in cargo aviation.

The cargo compartment is sealed and has the following dimensions:

length – 43 m;
height – 18.2 m;
width – 6.4 m;
wingspan - 88.4 m;
weight – 250 tons.

The plane has space for 6 crew members and 88 people accompanying the cargo. The likelihood that the plane will fail during flight is extremely low - all important systems are duplicated 4 times.

While the Mriya was created in a single copy, the winding down of the Buran program also suspended the production of the heavyweight aircraft. It is known that the design bureau named after. Antonova continues to develop the second modification of the giant.

The largest military aircraft

The An-124 Ruslan, the prototype of the An-225, was at one time considered the largest aircraft in the world. It is now the largest military aircraft with a huge payload capacity. It has four turbojet engines, a wide fuselage and two decks. The lower one is for cargo, the upper one is for the crew (8 people) and accompanying people (up to 21 people). The volume of the cargo compartment is 1000 cubic meters. An-124 lifts 120 tons into the air.

Characteristics:

length – 69.1 m;
height – 21.08 m;
wingspan - 73.3 m;
weight – 178.4 tons;
take-off weight - 392 tons.

"Ruslan" was also developed at the Design Bureau named after. O.K. Antonova, like “Mriya”. The purpose of its creation is to transport transcontinental ballistic missiles. However, the result of the work of Soviet designers exceeded expectations - the An-124 turned out to be a universal military aircraft that can transport large military equipment. “Ruslan” was mass-produced; a total of 56 copies were produced. In the early 2000s. There were attempts to resume its production by Ukraine and Russia, but due to the worsening political relations between the two countries, the project was curtailed.

The largest turboprop aircraft in the world

The An-22 was developed in the Soviet Union in the 1960s, at the height of cold war" It was codenamed “product 100”. As a result, five years later the world saw this gigantic “product” called AN-22 “Antey”. This is the first Soviet and Russian aircraft with a wide fuselage. It is still considered the largest aircraft with a turboprop engine. The diameter of the propellers is 62 cm, and the power of each of the four engines is 11227 kW.

Characteristics:

length – 57.31 m;
height – 12.53 m;
wingspan – 64.40 m;
weight – 119 kg;
load capacity – 60 tons.

"Antey" is capable of transporting heavy and large military equipment over long distances and is used for airborne landings.

The heaviest combat aircraft in history

The Tu-160 is a representative of a completely different generation of military aircraft. He flies with supersonic speed and is a strategic bomber. So far this is the largest and most powerful aircraft in Russia and the world in the history of military aviation.

The Tu-160 concept was born in the 1970-1980s. as a response of Russian strategists to the military developments of the United States and NATO. The future aircraft was supposed to fly to the neighboring continent and overcome enemy air defenses at supersonic speed.

Characteristics:

length – 54.1 m;
the wing is variable sweep, so the span is different: 55.7/50.7/35.6 m;
height – 13.1 m;
weight – 110 t.
maximum take-off weight – 275 tons.

Most Tu-160 missile carriers are named after prominent figures domestic aviation. As of 2017, our country Russia has 16 aircraft in service. There are plans to completely modernize them.

The largest mass-produced cargo aircraft

Completes the selection “The Most large planes» American cargo aircraft Lockheed C-5 Galaxy. Today it is the largest model among mass-produced cargo carriers. Since 1968, the aircraft has been successfully operated by the US Army, and regular upgrades allow it to be considered modern and promising.

Characteristics:

aircraft length - 75.54 m;
aircraft height – 19.85 m;
wingspan - 67.88 m;
weight – 169.6 tons.
maximum take-off weight – 379.6 tons.

The aircraft can fly over 4 thousand kilometers at an altitude of 10 km without refueling. The maximum developed speed is 920 km.

The largest aircraft are milestones in the history of aviation. They demonstrate how engineering thought developed, what path the designers saw before them. As history shows, the most outstanding achievements in aircraft manufacturing are associated with military operations.

The Airbus A380 is the largest passenger aircraft in the world. In a single-class configuration, it can carry 853 passengers; there is also the A380-1000 project, which accommodates 1,073 passengers in economy class.

2. The Airbus A380 made its first flight on April 27, 2005, and began operation on October 25, 2007. This month we will celebrate our 10th anniversary.

3. Several countries are involved in the production of the airliner. The main sections of the airliner are being built at plants in France, Great Britain, Germany and Spain. Russia also did not stand aside. Employees of the Airbus ECAR Engineering Center in Moscow, the first design bureau created by the concern in Europe outside the territories of its member countries in June 2003, took part in the design of the A380F. Russian designers carry out a significant amount of work on the design of fuselage parts, strength calculations, placement of on-board equipment and support of serial production of aircraft.

4. Airbus is a very open company and often organizes events for aviation enthusiasts. On October 1, together with Domodedovo Airport, another spotting was carried out. To get to spotting, follow the accounts of Airbus and Domodedovo Airport. But if you don't want to wait, you can take a photo of the Airbus from behind the fence, now you can do this during daylight hours and every day.

5. Wingspan Airbus A380 is 79.75 m, and the wing area is 845 m². The A380 wing is sized for a maximum take-off weight of over 650 tonnes. The flight range for the A380-800 model is 15,400 km.

6. The take-off run of the airliner is 2050 m, the run length is 2900 m.

Cruising speed is 900 km/h and maximum speed is 1020 km/h.

7. Domodedovo Airport became the first airport certified to receive the A380. For this we had to buy special equipment. For example, the height of the aircraft is 24.09 m - this is eight-story house. You need to get to such a height, for example.
By the way, the equipment must be delivered due to its large size.

8. Currently, Domodedovo Airport remains the only airport in Russia that receives the Airbus A380 on a regular basis. From October 1st Airbus A380 Emirates airlines flies on the route Dubai - Moscow - Dubai.

9. There are known cases of A380 being manufactured according to special orders from private individuals. The first to order his personal Airbus A380 Super Jumbo was Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, nephew of King Abdullah. The order price is $488 million.

10. There are now 215 produced worldwide Airbus aircraft A380, orders for another 100 aircraft have been received. On average, Airbus now produces about 30 A380 aircraft per year.

Thanks to the employees of Airbus and Domodedovo Airport for the invitation to spotting. It was great.

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