Which is the biggest aircraft of the world? It is convenient to know what criteria to use: should the aircraft be compared to each other in terms of wingspan? Or Maximum Takeoff Weight (MTOW)? What about length and/or height? The second option is the most widely used to rank airplanes, which actually makes sense, since the weight that goes up in the air is generally and somehow a clear indicator of the size of the thing. But why not rank them by occupied area? Or volume? What would be the size of the box if we had to put them inside one?
The largest airplanes built so far…
The largest airplanes (still) in service, and which are to be compared shortly, are the Airbus A380, the Boeing 747, the Antonov An-225 Myria ‘Cossack’ and An-124 Ruslan ‘Condor’ and the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy. At a final stage, the Hughes HK-4 Hercules ‘Spruce Goose’ and the KM, best known as ‘Caspian Sea Monster’, will also be added to the ‘contest’. Although the ‘Sea Monster’ is actually an ekranoplan, not an aircraft (but it flew!), it’s included just to make things a little bit more interesting.
In-service aircraft
The Airbus A380 during its first visit to India. Image: Airbus.
The Boeing 747-400ER. Image: Boeing.
The Antonov An-225 Myria ‘Cossack’ carrying the Soviet space shuttle Buran, the only fully completed and operational vehicle from the reusable spacecraft program Buran. Image: Antonov.
The Antonov An-124 Ruslan ‘Condor’. Image: Volga-Dnepr.
A Lockheed C-5 Galaxy from the U.S.A.F.’s Air Mobility Command. Image: Lockheed Martin.
Weights and dimensions for the airplanes mentioned above are presented below:
Maximum Takeoff Weight (MTOW) in lbs (kg)
1 – An-225: 1,411,000 (640,000)
2 – A380 (model -800): 1,234,600 (560,000)
3 – 747 (model -400ER): 910,000 (413,000)
4 – An-124: 886,250 (402,000)
5 – C-5: 837,000 (380,000)
Wingspan in ft (m)
1 – An-225: 290 (88)
2 – A380: 261.8 (80)
3 – An-124: 240.5 (73)
4 – C-5: 222.8 (68)
5 – 747 (model -400): 211.4 (64)
Maximum length in ft (m)
1 – An-225: 275.5 (84)
2 – C-5: 247.8 (76)
3 – A380: 239.3 (73)
4 – 747 (model -400): 231.8 (71)
5 – An-124: 226.8 (69)
Maximum height in ft (m)
1 – A380: 79.7 (24)
2 – An-124: 69.2 (21)
3 – C-5: 65.1 (20)
4 – 747 (model -400): 63.7 (19)
5 – An-225: 59.3 (18)
Maximum occupied area in sq. ft (sq. m)
An-225: 78,895 (7,392)
A380: 62,649 (5,840)
C-5: 55,210 (5,168)
An-124: 54,545 (5,037)
747: 49,002 (4,544)
Maximum occupied volume in cu. m
1 – A380: 140,160
2 – An-225: 133,056
3 – An-124: 105,777
4 – C-5: 103,360
5 – 747: 86,336
There we have it: the An-225, with the highest MTOW and maximum occupied area, may be considered the largest, in service, airplane in the world. The A380 is the biggest commercial aircraft, with the 747 trailing behind at a distant second place.
If we were to add the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental and the Airbus A380-800F, which are still to be built, what would the rankings be? Introducing those airplanes won’t make any difference: the 747-8i (both the -8 and the -8F) is expected to have an MTOW of 970,000 lbs (440,000 kg), a wingspan of 224.6 ft (68 m) and a slightly smaller maximum length than the 747; the A380-800F will be 50,700 lbs heavier than the passenger version, with an MTOW of 1,285,300 lbs (583,000 kg). Thus, expect the An-225 and the A380 to retain their titles for a ‘few more’ years.
Classic airplanes
The Hughes ‘Spruce Goose’ was conceived as a giant cargo plane (or flying boat) and its first and only flight happened in 1947. It was the tallest airplane in the world until the introduction of the A380, but one can say that they now share that title. And although still holding record for the largest wingspan to this date (approx. 320 ft or 98 m), it weighed roughly 300,000 lbs (136,000 kg), which may seem less than expected for an aircraft of its size… But let’s not forget that it was born in the 1940s and made from wood.
The Hughes HK-4 ‘Spruce Goose’. Image: Aerospaceweb.org.
The KM, or ’Caspian Sea Monster’ as known among the Americans who first observed it, was an experimental WIG (Wing In Ground) vehicle, flying just above sea level to benefit from the ground effect. It made its first debut in 1966, was powered by 10 turbojet engines (8 of which were nose-mounted) and weighed around 1,190,000 lbs (540,000 kg), with a maximum wingspan of 131 ft (40 m) and a stunning 347 ft (106 m) maximum length. It is somewhat far from being the biggest vehicle here presented, nevertheless the longest.
The ‘Caspian Sea Monster’. Image: Theregister.co.uk.
Sources: Aerospaceweb.org, Airbus, AW&ST Source Book 2008, Boeing, Wikipedia.
Posted by Filipe 
Posted by Filipe 