15 Largest Planes Ever Built

since the wright brothers flew their first plane in 1903 aircraft designs have come a long way planes are now integral to worldwide travel and trade with manufacturers constantly striving to make designs that are more efficient have a longer range and offer greater capabilities in a world of aircraft bigger isn't always better but that hasn't stopped some absolutely enormous ones from taking to the skies it's time to stow your baggage and fasten your seat belts because it's time to look at the top 15 largest planes ever made number 15 tupolev tu-160 blackjack developed by the tupolev design bureau during the 1980s the tu-160 blackjack remains the largest and heaviest combat aircraft to ever be built as well as the largest and heaviest plane ever created that flies faster than mach 2 and the fastest bomber ever it was the last strategic bomber to be designed for the soviet union and to this day there are still at least 16 of these aircraft in active use in the russian air force's long-range aviation branch first entering service in 1987 the tu-160 requires a four-person crew which is made up of a pilot a co-pilot a bombardier and a defensive systems officer it's a massive 177 feet long has a wingspan of up to 183 feet and is powered by four samara nk 321 after burning turbofan engines that produce 55 000 pounds of force with each afterburner this gives the blackjack a top speed of 1380 miles per hour which is the equivalent of mach 2.05 with a range of up to 7 600 miles without the use of in-flight refueling what's particularly impressive is that it's able to achieve this speed with a full armament inside its two internal weapons bays which it can carry almost one hundred thousand pounds of ordnance which can include cruise missiles or short-range nuclear missiles number fourteen the strato launch designed by scaled composites for straddle launch systems which is a space transportation company co-founded by paul allen a co-founder of microsoft the straddle launch is a huge aircraft that was intended to carry air-to-orbit rockets to a high enough altitude that they require far less fuel to reach orbit currently only one has been built and it's only performed one test flight in 2019 and unfortunately since the death of paul allen the company has focused its efforts elsewhere strata launch remains one of the most unique and impressive aircraft to ever fly though and it's almost unbelievable designed around a twin fuselage configuration each of which are 238 feet long and has a total of 28 landing gear wheels to support it while it's on the ground its wing span is 385 feet which is longer than a football field and even though there are two cockpits the flight crew only operated from one on the right hand side powered by six pratt and whitney pw 4056 engines each of which produces 56 000 pounds of force each plane is able to carry a payload of up to 250 tons to an altitude of up to 35 000 feet this is easily enough to transport satellites on a launch vehicle and if the project is continued could provide a more cost-effective way for smaller satellite launches to take place [Music] number 13. boeing 747 8. the 747 is the most recognizable passenger aircraft ever designed and it's credited with changing the face of passenger transport forever the first version was released in 1970 but with ever-improving technologies the designs have changed substantially over the years the 747.8 is the largest of all the variants which is available for both cargo and passenger uses and first entered service in 2011 at 250 feet 2 inches long and a wingspan of 224 feet 7 inches it has a capacity of up to 467 people in three classes or a payload of up to 137 tons powered by four engines that produce a thrust of up to 66 000 pounds of force plane has a cruising speed of 568 miles per hour and has a range of up to 8 900 miles to give an idea of the improvement this represents on the recommended passenger configuration the 747.8 can carry 51 more passengers or two more freight loads than previous versions of the 747 while at the same time being 30 percent quieter 16 more fuel efficient and according to boeing being the world's fastest commercial jet all of this was possible by making a series of subtle changes along with larger alterations such as lengthening the upper deck using a curved staircase to offer more room curving the overhead bins and using solid-state led lighting to reduce power consumption number 12 mcdonnell douglas kc-10 extender designed by mcdonnell douglas the kc-10 extender is a military aircraft designed specifically to refuel other planes while still in the air based on the company's dc-10 aircraft the first kc-10 extender entered service in 1981 and they're still relied upon today with as much on-board space dedicated to storage tanks as possible the kc-10 can carry up to 356 000 pounds of fuel and features a specialized centerline refueling boom as well as a drogue and hose system that's installed on the rear of the fuselage on the starboard side even with the latest technology mid-air refueling is still a complicated process so this requires a dedicated crew member to operate the equipment while two pilots and an engineer work from the cockpit the plane can also carry up to 75 passengers along with up to 25 pallets of cargo and has three general electric turbofan engines that produce 52 000 pounds of force of thoros each this means that the aircraft which is 181 feet long and a wingspan of 165 feet is able to reach a top speed of 538 miles per hour with a range of up to 4 400 miles when fully laden with fuel and cargo number 11 airbus a380 800 to compete with boeing's dominance of large capacity passenger transport market airbus designed the a380 which when it entered service in 2007 became the world's largest passenger airliner with a length of 238 feet and a wingspan measuring 261 feet it's a full-length double-decker aircraft that in its usual configuration has a capacity of 525 passengers but this can easily be increased up to 853 passengers the plane is powered by four trent turbofan engines that produce 78 000 pounds of thrust each and this gives it a typical cruising speed of 561 miles an hour and a range of 9200 miles developing an aircraft like this is an incredibly costly endeavor and unfortunately for airbus it seems unlikely the company will ever recoup the 25 billion dollars spent on it with changing needs in the airline industry companies are favoring smaller and more cost-effective aircraft that offer better fuel economy and the age of huge passenger jets seems to be coming to an end although the airbus has successfully delivered 246 a380s the coronavirus pandemic put an end to any further orders it's been officially announced that the aircraft will cease production during 2021 after the current order slate is fulfilled number 10 antonoff an124 ruslan created by the antonoff design bureau for use by the soviet union air force the an-124 ruslan first entered service in 1986 as a heavy transport aircraft the idea was that it would be able to carry huge loads and was the heaviest production cargo aircraft in the world for 30 years still in service for the russian air force it's the largest military transport aircraft used by any nation on earth and can amazingly transport up to 170 tons of cargo requiring a crew of six which includes a pilot co-pilot a navigator chief engineer electrical engineer and radio operator and two load masters at airports the plane is 226 feet long has a wingspan of 240 feet and also has room for up to 88 passengers in the upper aft fuselage it's also powered by four progress d18t high bypass turbofan engines which each produce 51 000 pounds of thrust and can fly at a cruising speed of 537 miles per hour across a maximum distance of 2 300 miles with a maximum payload despite its size and weight it's said by pilots to be relatively easy to fly and that's one of the reasons that of the 55 that have been built 26 are still in service after being upgraded from their original design number nine boeing c17 globemaster iii mcdonald douglas which merged with boeing in 1997 designed the c-17 globemaster iii in the 1980s to provide the us military with a newly designed heavy transport aircraft the model first entered service in 1995 and in total 279 were built before production ended in 2015. they're now used by a number of different militaries around the world and have been found to be particularly reliable without needing anywhere near as much maintenance as other aircraft designed for a similar role the c-17 is 174 feet long and has a wingspan of just under 170 feet and is powered by four pratt whitney f-117 turbofan engines which produce 40 000 pounds of thrust with two pilots and a load master the planes can fly at a cruising speed of 520 miles per hour with a range of up to 2 700 miles with a full payload and can carry cargo that weighs up to 85 tons depending on the configuration it can also be used to transport 102 paratroopers 54 injured patients along with medical staff or large vehicles like an m1 abrams tank or three icv strikers the capability of the globemaster 3 has led to becoming an important workhorse for all branches of the military and while the process is underway to ultimately decide upon a successor to the design the current fleet is expected to remain in operation for at least 20 or 30 number eight hughes h4 hercules the hughes h4 hercules was the largest flying boat ever built and until the first flight of the straddle launch in 2019 also held the record of having the widest wingspan of any aircraft but what's perhaps most surprising of all is that only one was ever constructed and it only flew once the plane also known as the spruce goose was designed during the second world war for use as a transatlantic transport aircraft so u.s forces could safely take materials and troops to britain by air rather than run the risk of encountering german u-boats at sea in theory it would be able to carry loads of up to 60 tons and was designed by howard hughes himself one of the more unusual things about the h4 was that in order to avoid using valuable materials needed for the war effort the plane was made almost entirely from birch wood it was 218 feet long and had an enormous wingspan of 320 feet and was fitted with eight pratt whitney wasp major 28 cylinder radial piston engines that powered the over 17 foot in diameter propellers this gave it a theoretical cruising speed of 250 miles per hour with a range of 3 000 miles but in reality these figures were never proved and the one and only flight took place in 1947 long after the war had ended and with hues at the controls and several journalists on board it took off from water at a speed of 135 miles per hour reached a height of 70 feet and traveled around a mile before landing again meaning it was airborne for just 26 seconds number seven airbus beluga xl it's probably the strangest named plane ever built but once you see the airbus beluga xl it becomes immediately clear why it's said to look so similar to the species of whale designed to be a new style of heavy transport aircraft fit for modern times it was first revealed by airbus in 2018 and entered service for airbus transport in 2020. based on a previous smaller design there are currently five of these aircraft in operation with a further one expected to be ready by 2023 airbus is mainly using them to move airplane parts between the different factories and the beluga xl is unique in that it's been specifically designed to be able to transport two a350 xwb wings at the same time to do this the 270 foot long plane has a wingspan measuring just under 198 feet and has a cargo hold with a volume of 78 000 cubic feet the two rolls-royce trent 700 turbofan engines which each produce 71 000 pounds of thrust mean that it can carry loads that weigh up to 56 tons while maintaining a cruising speed of 458 miles per hour with a range of 2600 miles when fully loaded it's definitely one of the more unusual planes you'll ever see in the sky but based on the success of the beluga xl it could well be a design that becomes increasingly more common in the coming years number six the b-52 stratofortress the incredible boeing b-52 strato fortress was developed by the company in the 1950s for the u.s air force and between 1952 and 1962 744 of the long-range strategic bombers were built it was an absolute game changer for the air force's capabilities offering the ability to carry 35 tons worth of ordinance with a range of 8 800 miles before it needs to refuel the main intent of the plane was to be able to carry nuclear bombs during the cold war although they have of course only ever been used to drop conventional bombs at 159 feet long and a wingspan of 185 feet the stratofortress requires a five-member crew to operate fully which includes a pilot co-pilot a weapon systems officer a navigator and an electronic warfare officer it weighs more than 132 tons on its own before any cargo is loaded to make it airworthy it's fitted with eight pratt whitney tf-33 turbofan engines that produce 17 000 pounds of thrust each flying at an altitude of up to 50 000 feet it has a cruising speed of 509 miles per hour but a top speed of 650 miles per hour if needed as well as the bombs it carries which can be a range of different options b-52s could originally protect themselves with an m-61 vulcan cannon in the tail turret although these were all removed in 1991 number five caspian sea monster holding the record for being the largest and heaviest aircraft ever built until 1988 the amazingly named caspian sea monster was an experimental ground effect aircraft that was built for the soviet navy in 1964. despite being classified as a plane it was actually regarded more like a boat because it was designed to fly at a height of just 33 feet to take advantage of the ground effect and transport cargo in people at a cruising speed of 270 miles per hour across a range of up to 930 miles during the cold war when the u.s intelligence first found out about the caspian sea monster it wasn't entirely clear what the vehicle had been built for in the end only one was ever built and while it benefited from being able to evade radar because it flew beneath the minimum altitude of detection the soviets struggled to find a viable use for it either measuring just under 302 feet long with a wingspan of 123 feet and a tail stabilizer that was 121 feet across the craft was powered by 10 dobrinon vd7 turbojet engines and each produced 28 000 pounds of thrust each the sea monster entered testing in 1965 and performed regular test flights for the next 15 years until 1980 and because of pilot error it crashed into the caspian sea it was so severely damaged that along with the fact that there was still no obvious use for it the decision was made to not repair it and the wreckage still remains underwater at the crash site to this day number four boeing 747 dream lifter while boeing's 747 400 and 747.8 are aimed at cargo customers looking to transport goods around the world the biggest capacity aircraft that's built by the company is actually another variant called the 747 dream lifter and it was specifically designed for use by boeing itself with three times the capacity of a 747 400 only four have ever been built since being introduced in 2007 and they're all used mainly for one specific purpose to transport components for the 787 dreamliner from worldwide suppliers traditionally aircraft parts would also have been delivered by sea because it's far cheaper to do so but it also takes a significant amount of time for the parts to arrive and boeing needed to keep up with a large number of orders the dream lifter is an adapted 747 which has a main cargo compartment with a volume of over 65 000 feet and a max weight capacity of 125 tons it's a few feet longer than a passenger 747 at 235 feet wide but has the same wings with a span of 211 feet the speed and range has however been sacrificed to enable the transportation of heavy bulky loads so with its four pw 4062 engines it's able to reach a cruising speed of 545 miles an hour over a distance of up to 4 800 miles number three lockheed c5 galaxy designed by lockheed and first introduced in 1970 the c5 galaxy was specifically made for the u.s air force to offer the capability to transport large and bulky loads over long distances 131 of them were built with most remaining in service to this day after incremental upgrades with the c5m being the latest version that's expected to keep operating until at least the 2040s it is one of the largest military aircraft to ever be designed with a length of 247 feet and a wingspan measuring just under 223 feet with four general electric cf6 turbofan engines that each produce 51 000 pounds of thrust the galaxy has a cruising speed of 525 miles an hour and a range of up to 5 500 miles when carrying a full cargo weight of 140 tons over their operational lifespan c5 galaxies have been used for a wide range of operational requirements from delivering much-needed air supplies to deployment of military equipment flying to difficult regions including mcmurdo air base in antarctica and even being used to transport space shuttles for nasa number two aerospace line super guppy the super guppy designed by aerospace lines is a huge cargo transportation plane that first took to the skies in 1965 only five were ever built but they were made for the requirements of one client in particular nasa they were and remain the only aircraft ever built that's able to transport a complete s4b stage which is the third stage of a saturn v rocket and the super guppies were vital to enable nasa to launch missions to the moon at 143 feet long and with a wingspan measuring 156 feet the super guppy has four allison 501 turboprop engines that power the four propellers requiring a crew of four to operate it has a cruising speed of 250 miles per hour with a maximum range of about 2 000 miles when fully loaded with up to 26 tons even though the apollo program has long been cancelled in favor of more efficient alternatives one of the super guppies is still used by nasa to transport components between facilities the others can now be seen on display around the world both because of their unique design and because of their place in space flight history number one entered off an225 maria developed in the 1980s and first flying in december of 1988 only one antonoff an-225 maria aircraft was ever built and it remains the heaviest aircraft ever made as well as having the largest wingspan of any aircraft that's currently flying it is absolutely enormous at 275 feet long and 290 feet across the wings and it was built for the soviet military to transport supplies to deliver large components used in the buron space program as well as being able to carry the space launch vehicles on top of its fuselage to achieve this it needed an enormous amount of power which is provided by the six progress d18 turbofan engines each of which generates up to 51 000 pounds of thrust amazingly even when carrying a full payload of 220 tons it has a cruising speed of 500 miles per hour and an effective range of 9 600 miles after initially being very successful for what the soviet military needed it for the maria proved to be too costly to keep operating so it was mothballed for eight years it entered a new lease of life however when the demand for international freight transport started to increase and it's still now in service where it's used to carry particularly heavy or bulky objects such as supplies to humanitarian disasters or huge blades used for worn turbines watch our vehicles playlist for more top 15 videos about amazing vehicles sit back relax and binge watch all of our best vehicle videos [Applause]

Channel: Top Fives

Views: 2,319,119

Keywords: Largest Planes Ever Built

Id: uM1RMcESIFc

Length: 21min 25sec (1285 seconds)

Published: Tue May 04 2021