Top 5 Largest Military Transport Aircraft in the World 2026

Imagine having to move a main battle tank, a helicopter, dozens of troops, and tons of supplies from one continent to another, without putting any of it on a ship. That is where the world’s largest military transport aircraft earn their keep.

These enormous airlifters are less about looking impressive on a flight line and more about solving a brutal logistics problem: how do you move a small piece of an army, quickly, across thousands of kilometers?

Some can swallow armored vehicles through giant cargo doors. Others are built to land on rough airfields where a conventional airliner would never dare to go.

But what actually makes an aircraft the largest military transport aircraft in the world? Size alone can be misleading. One aircraft may have the greatest payload, another the longest fuselage, while a third offers a larger cargo compartment or higher maximum takeoff weight.

So, for this ranking, maximum payload is the main yardstick, with dimensions, range, speed, and operational flexibility adding context.

The result is a fascinating mix of aircraft from the United States, China, Russia, and the former Soviet aviation industry.

The Antonov An-124 and Lockheed C-5M sit in a different league from more versatile airlifters such as the C-17 Globemaster III, while China’s Y-20 represents the rapid expansion of its strategic airlift capability.

So, which aircraft truly deserves the title? And how much cargo can these airborne giants actually carry?

Let’s break down the five largest military transport aircraft and see what separates sheer size from genuine strategic lifting power.

How We Rank the Largest Military Transport Aircraft

Before declaring one aircraft the largest military transport aircraft, there is a small problem: largest according to what?

A 75-meter-long aircraft isn’t automatically the best heavy lifter. Another aircraft might be shorter but carry more cargo. And a third may carry less weight yet fit unusually large vehicles because its cargo bay is wider or taller.

For this ranking, maximum payload capacity is the primary measurement. That’s the most useful yardstick when comparing military airlifters because it tells us how much equipment an aircraft can theoretically move in one mission.

Public comparison data places the An-124 at about 150 tonnes, the C-5 around 129 tonnes depending on variant, the C-17 at 77.5 tonnes, the Y-20 at 66 tonnes and the Il-76 at roughly 60 tonnes.

But payload isn’t the whole story.

Cargo dimensions deserve special attention. A vehicle doesn’t care that an aircraft has 70 tonnes of theoretical payload if the vehicle simply won’t fit through the loading door. That’s why airlift is a bit like playing three-dimensional Tetris at enormous scale.

Operational context matters, too. The C-5M, for example, is officially described by the U.S. Air Force as its largest aircraft and is designed to move oversized cargo over intercontinental distances.

So, in the sections ahead, payload sets the ranking, but size, range, cargo space and real-world usefulness explain why each aircraft earned its place.

1. Antonov An-124 Ruslan: The Heavy-Lift Benchmark

If you want a single aircraft that makes the phrase largest military transport aircraft feel justified, start with the Antonov An-124 Ruslan.

Developed in the Soviet Union during the Cold War, the An-124 was built around a remarkably simple idea: move things that other aircraft simply couldn’t. It first flew in 1982, and Antonov describes it as a heavy strategic military transport aircraft capable of carrying up to 150 tonnes of cargo.

That figure needs a little context. The standard An-124-100 is rated for up to 120 tonnes, while the upgraded An-124-100M-150 can carry as much as 150 tonnes. The latter required structural reinforcement, including upgrades to the fuselage, cargo floor and forward loading ramp.

But raw payload isn’t what makes the Ruslan fascinating. Its loading system is arguably the real star. The aircraft has both forward and rear cargo doors, allowing vehicles to be driven through the fuselage rather than relying entirely on conventional airport loading equipment. Its onboard cargo system can also lift extremely heavy individual loads.

Consider the scale: Antonov records a 152-tonne Euclid mine dump truck being transported by an An-124 in 1985. That’s not ordinary cargo. That’s the sort of machine that looks oversized even when parked beside a normal truck.

With a 73.3-meter wingspan, the Ruslan is enormous even before you put anything inside it. More importantly, it was designed around the awkward, heavy and oversized equipment that conventional military airlifters struggle to accommodate.

That combination of payload, cargo volume and loading flexibility is why the An-124 remains the benchmark for heavy strategic airlift.

2. Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy: America’s Airlift Giant

If the An-124 is built like a flying heavy-haul truck, the C-5M Super Galaxy is more like a strategic warehouse with wings.

At 75.3 meters long, the C-5M is actually longer than the An-124, although its maximum payload is lower. The U.S. Air Force lists a maximum cargo capacity of 281,001 pounds, or 127,460 kilograms, giving it an extraordinary ability to move oversized military equipment across intercontinental distances.

The numbers become even more interesting when you look inside. Its cargo compartment stretches 43.8 meters, with enough height and width to accommodate bulky vehicles and other outsized loads.

The aircraft also has doors at both the nose and rear, allowing loading and unloading operations from either end. Full-width ramps let vehicles drive directly into the cargo bay.

That design gives the C-5M something more valuable than impressive specifications: logistical flexibility.

The aircraft can carry up to 36 pallet positions, while its four engines produce enough thrust to move a maximum-takeoff-weight aircraft of about 381 tonnes. With a 127,460-kilogram cargo load, the Air Force says the C-5M can fly 2,150 nautical miles, unload, and then continue to another base 500 nautical miles away without aerial refueling.

And there’s a useful twist here. The C-5M isn’t merely a Cold War relic kept alive by nostalgia. Its modernization replaced the older engines with more powerful F-138 units and improved reliability, maintenance and operational performance.

So while the An-124 takes the payload crown in this ranking, the C-5M makes a strong argument that being the biggest isn’t just about carrying the most, it’s about moving enormous loads repeatedly, globally, and with a practical logistics system behind them.

3. Boeing C-17 Globemaster III: The Transport Aircraft That Can Go Almost Anywhere

The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III gives up a lot of raw lifting capacity to the An-124 and C-5M. Yet if you judge a military transport aircraft by what it can actually do close to the fight, the picture gets much more interesting.

The C-17 can carry a maximum payload of 77,519 kilograms (77.5 tonnes) and has a maximum takeoff weight of 265.35 tonnes. It measures 53 meters long with a 51.75-meter wingspan.

What makes the C-17 unusual is its ability to bridge the gap between strategic and tactical airlift. A C-5 is superb at moving enormous loads between major bases. The C-17 can do that too, but it was also designed to get much closer to the action.

Its high-lift wing, thrust reversers and rugged landing gear allow it to operate from austere airfields. The aircraft can take off and land on runways as short as 3,500 feet (1,064 meters), according to the U.S. Air Force.

And the cargo isn’t exactly lightweight. The C-17 can accommodate equipment such as the 69-ton M1 Abrams main battle tank, armored vehicles, trucks and trailers. Its cargo floor can switch between configurations for vehicles and palletized freight.

That flexibility has made the Globemaster III a workhorse for military deployments, humanitarian missions and airborne operations. It can also airdrop up to 102 paratroopers with their equipment.

So, while the C-17 isn’t the biggest military cargo aircraft by payload, it may be the most versatile aircraft on this list. It doesn’t just move the war zone’s luggage, it can deliver it remarkably close to the doorstep.

4. Xi’an Y-20 Kunpeng: China’s Strategic Airlift Workhorse

China’s Xi’an Y-20 Kunpeng may not match the sheer payload of the An-124 or C-5M, but its importance goes beyond the numbers. It represents something strategically bigger: China’s transition from relying heavily on imported heavy transports to operating its own large-scale strategic airlift platform.

The Y-20 entered service with the People’s Liberation Army Air Force in 2016 after its prototype first flew in 2013. Its maximum takeoff weight is about 220 tonnes, while its maximum payload is 66 tonnes.

The Y-20’s significance becomes clearer when you look at what China has done with the platform. It isn’t simply a cargo hauler. The basic airframe has developed into a broader family that includes the Y-20B, equipped with domestically developed WS-20 engines, and tanker variants such as the YY-20A.

That flexibility matters because strategic airlift isn’t only about carrying tanks from point A to point B. A country needs aircraft that can move troops, supplies and equipment during emergencies, and keep those forces supported once they arrive.

The Y-20 has already demonstrated that wider role. In 2022, twelve Y-20s conducted an overseas airlift to Serbia, carrying components of China’s FK-3 surface-to-air missile system. More recently, the aircraft has expanded its international reach through military and humanitarian missions.

Its 66-tonne payload puts it in roughly the same broad heavy-airlift class as the C-17, although the two aircraft aren’t identical in size or mission design. The Y-20 is also becoming more interesting as its domestically powered variants mature.

For China, then, the Y-20 is more than one of the largest military transport aircraft in service. It is a flying piece of strategic infrastructure, one that gives Beijing greater freedom to move people and equipment far beyond its own borders.

5. Ilyushin Il-76MD-90A: The Veteran Heavy Lifter Gets a Modern Makeover

The Ilyushin Il-76MD-90A may not have the jaw-dropping payload of an An-124 or the sheer dimensions of a C-5M, but don’t mistake it for a lesser machine. Its strength is practicality. For decades, the Il-76 family has been one of the workhorses of military airlift, and the MD-90A is a deep modernization of that formula.

The updated aircraft can carry up to 60 tonnes of payload, has a maximum takeoff weight of 210 tonnes, and uses four PS-90A-76 turbofan engines. Its manufacturer, United Aircraft Corporation, lists a cruise speed of 750–780 km/h and a range of 5,000 km with a 52-tonne payload. 

What changed beneath that familiar silhouette is particularly important. The MD-90A received a reinforced wing, new engines, strengthened landing gear and modern digital avionics. These upgrades increased both payload and efficiency compared with earlier Il-76 variants.

And the aircraft is built for more than simply hauling pallets. It can transport and air-drop military vehicles, personnel and cargo, while also being configured for casualty evacuation. Its cargo compartment measures roughly 20 meters long, 3.45 meters wide and 3.4 meters high in UAC’s published specification.

There’s another useful trick: austere operations. Russian sources highlight its ability to operate from unprepared and dirt airfields, an attribute that matters when the nearest major runway is hundreds of kilometers from where the cargo is actually needed.

So why does the Il-76MD-90A make this list? Because 60 tonnes is still a serious load, especially when the aircraft is designed to deliver that cargo into less-than-perfect operating environments.

It isn’t the biggest aircraft here. It doesn’t need to be. In military logistics, sometimes the most valuable truck isn’t the one that carries the most, it’s the one that can actually reach the destination.

What Is the Largest Military Transport Aircraft in the World?

If maximum payload is the yardstick, the answer is the Antonov An-124 Ruslan.

The aircraft’s largest certified variant, the An-124-100M-150, can carry up to 150 tonnes of cargo, a remarkable figure that puts it ahead of every other aircraft in this ranking.

Antonov says the standard An-124-100 is rated for 120 tonnes, while the upgraded -150 version raises that figure to 150 tonnes through structural reinforcement and modifications to the cargo ramp and braking system.

That distinction matters because “largest” can mean several different things.

The C-5M Super Galaxy, for example, is actually longer than the An-124 at 75.3 meters, compared with the An-124’s 69.1 meters. But its maximum payload is lower, at 127,460 kg (127.46 tonnes). Its enormous 43.8-meter-long cargo compartment and ability to move oversized equipment across intercontinental distances nevertheless make it one of the world’s most capable strategic airlifters.

The gap becomes even clearer further down the list. The C-17 Globemaster III carries up to 77.5 tonnes, while China’s Y-20 is rated for 66 tonnes. The modernized Il-76MD-90A follows at 60 tonnes.

So, by payload alone, the ranking is straightforward:

An-124 > C-5M > C-17 > Y-20 > Il-76MD-90A.

But there’s a catch: the aircraft at the top isn’t necessarily the most useful for every mission. A 150-tonne payload is impressive, yet an air force may value short-field performance, global reach, rapid loading, or tactical flexibility more than absolute lifting capacity.

That is why the largest military transport aircraft is best understood not as one winner, but as a collection of specialized giants built to solve different logistical problems.