From the first flight of the Wright brothers on October 17th 1903 to the present day, the aviation industry has been in constant development defying all the laws of physics with true giants flying across the skies.
With his “Wright Flyer”, built with fir and ash wood for the structure and muslin fabric for the wings, a weight of 341kg (including the pilot) and just 6´4 meters long and 12’3 wingspan, the youngest of the Wright brothers, Orville, made that day the first controlled flight in history. It barely lasted twelve seconds, but it would change the course of history forever.
Both the European Aviation Safety Agency and the United States Federal Aviation Administration define a large aircraft as any aircraft certified with a maximum take-off weight of more than 5,700 kg. Intended for military manoeuvres, commercial transport or even space missions, these enormous engineering wonders defy the limits of technology.
Let’s see some of the largest in the world:
“ROC” of Stratolaunch systems – United States – experimental space launcher with 73m long, 117’3 wingspan, 15 high and 590.970 kg of MTOW. It is the largest aircraft that has ever flown. It has two fuselages joined by the wing from which satellites are launched into low Earth orbit.
Antonov An-225 – Soviet Union – Manufactured in present-day Ukraine (by the time part of the so-called Soviet Union). It is the largest cargo aircraft in the world with 84m long, 88’4 wingspan, 18’1 high and 640.000kg of MTOW. It has 240 records including the largest load ever transported (189.980kg) and also the longest (42 meters). Destroyed in 2022 in the Ukrainian war.
Airbus 380-800 – European Union – Passenger aircraft – It has a length of 72’7 meters, 79’8 wingspan, 24’1 high and 575,000kg MTOW. It is the largest passenger aircraft ever manufactured and mass-produced. Currently in service.
Caspian Sea Monster – Soviet Union – Ekranoplano experimental (aircraft-like vehicle that hardly ever leaves the influence of the ground effect)- It has 92 meters length, 37’6 wingspan, 21’8 height and 544,000kg MTOW.
Boeing 747-8 – United States – Cargo and passenger aircraft- 76’25 long, 68’345 wingspan, 19.35 high and 442,000 kg MTOW. Currently in service.
Antonov An-124 – Soviet Union – Military cargo aircraft – 68’96 long, 73’3 wingspan, 20’78 high and an MTOW of 405,000kg. On duty.
Lockheed C-5 Galaxy – United States – Military cargo aircraft, 75’31 long, 67’98 wingspan, 19’84 high and MTOW 381,000. The largest USAF strategic freighter in service.
LUN – Soviet Union- Ekranoplano- 73’8m long, 44 wingspan, 19’2 high and an MTOW of 380,000kg. Retired from service in the 1990s is the largest operational Ekranoplano manufactured.
Tupolev Tu-160- Strategic bomber, supersonic aircraft. It is 54’1 m long, 55’7m // 35’6m wingspan, 13’1 high and MTOW 270.00kg. It is the largest fighter aircraft, largest bomber, largest supersonic aircraft and largest aircraft with variable geometry wing that has been manufactured. It is also the largest military cargo aircraft and the most powerful among all aircraft. Currently in service.
Antonov An-22 – Soviet Union – Military cargo aircraft, turboprop – 57’9m long, 64’4m wingspan, 12’053m high and 250,000kg MTOW. The world’s largest turboprop-powered aircraft. Some units remain in service.
Airbus BelugaXL – European Union – Cargo aircraft – 56’2 long, 44’8 wingspan, 17’2 high and MTOW 155.000kg. It will cease to operate in 2025.
At present, the world’s largest passenger aircraft is the Airbus A380-800, a four engine plane manufactured by the European company Airbus from 2005 to 2021. It is the first jet plane with two decks along its entire fuselage, unlike the Boeing 747 whose upper deck covers only the front. It has a maximum capacity of 853 passengers in a high density economy class configuration.
The first studies for this aircraft development began in 1988 and Airbus announced the project in 1990. It was not until December 2000 that the A380 programme began. It suffered from cost overruns and some two years’ delay due to technical problems. The aircraft’s first flight took place in Toulouse, France, on 27th April 2005, and made its first commercial flight on 25th October 2007 with Singapore Airlines. An improved version, the A380plus, was in development, but the lack of interest from potential customers prompted its cancellation.
The A380, in its commercial version, has a flight range of 14 800 kilometers, enough to cover routes such as Mexico City-Paris or one of the longest, Madrid-Perth (Australia) nonstop, with a cruising speed of Mach 0.85 (900 km/h). Due to its impressive capabilities, this aircraft can cost up to 400 million US dollars.
On 14 February 2019, the European aerospace manufacturer announced that it would stop manufacturing the aircraft in 2021, due to the absence of new orders in the last five years and that its main customer, Emirates, decided to modify some of its remaining orders to change them for the A330-900 and A350-900.
Again, we talk about the Airbus A380-800, without a doubt a true feat of engineering. With a useful area that reaches 478m2 surpasses the Boeing-747 whose cabin surface is 320’8m2, what makes it the largest aircraft in the world inside.
It has a length of 73 meters, almost 80 wingspan and 24 high, and is made of 40% carbon fiber and other modern metal materials that improve aerodynamics and provide greater energy efficiency.
With a maximum capacity of 853 passengers and a multi-class configuration, some of the companies operating with it offer even private suites not suitable for all budgets.
The Antonov An-225 Mriya, a Ukrainian cargo aircraft that entered service in 1988. In terms of length, wingspan and maximum take-off weight, it is the largest in the world, with a length of 84 metres, a wingspan of 88 metres and a maximum take-off weight of 640 tonnes.
The Antonov An-225 was designed to carry very heavy and bulky loads thanks to its load capacity of up to 250 tons. Equipped with six Ivchenko-Progress D-18T turbofan engines, it could reach a maximum cruising speed of 850 km/h.
The aircraft was used for the Soviet space program, replacing the Myasishchev VM-T, carrying rockets and the Buran shuttle. That is, the immense Antonov did for the Russian Space Agency what the Airbus Beluga and the Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier did for NASA. Only one model was built, which was destroyed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This aircraft has competed with the Hughes H-4 Hercules as the largest aerodine ever built. Currently, the Ukrainian authorities project to build another one.
Once more we find the Airbus A380-800, which holds the number one position in the ranking followed by the Boeing 747 (with its 747-800 and 747-400 variants) and the Airbus A350-1000.
However, a new energy company called Radia has developed a project with MIT rocket engineer Mark Lundststrom, to build the world’s biggest cargo aircraft in order to solve the problem of the largest, most powerful and efficient wind turbines on the planet, which can only be installed at sea. The idea is to facilitate the transport of the typical 100-metre-long blades, which cannot be transported by land, to places like the deserts of the American West where it would be easier and cheaper to build and maintain than it is at sea.
The Windrunner, as the giant is called, has a length of 108 meters and is able to transport these blades of more than 100 meters and 70 tons. If the project succeeds, it will become the world’s largest aircraft in length and volume.
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