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The largest military aircraft by payload capacity ever built was the Antonov An-225. However, only one aircraft was built, and that was destroyed in 2022. Other aircraft that could have made it onto the list include the Antonov An-22 Antei (max payload 176,000 lbs) and the McDonnell Douglas DC10 Extender (max payload 170,000 lbs). However, these, too, have retired except for a pair of ex-Dutch KDC-10 operated by Omega Aerial Refueling Services.
The list will also exclude other aerial tankers like the 
Boeing 767-based KC-46 Pegasus and the Airbus A330-based A330MRTT. The MRTT has a payload capacity of up to 99,000 lbs and is used for cargo and passenger roles in addition to its core tanker role. The United States Air Force also uses the Boeing 747, but it is not used as a cargo or fuel transport aircraft and is therefore excluded here. Let’s examine the six military aircraft with the largest payload capacity in service today.
6
Airbus A400M Atlas
Up to 81,571 pounds of payload
The Airbus A400M Atlas is the only in-production Western airlifter and the only turboprop airlifter to make it onto this list. Primarily a cargo airlifter, the Atlas can also be configured with other missions like fighter fighting and aerial refueling. The A400M was designed as a versatile platform to bridge the gap between the C-17 Globemaster III and the C-130J Super Hercules. Separately, the closest competitor to the C-130J today is the Embraer C-390 Millennium.
The type first entered service in 2013, and at least 130 A400Ms have been delivered as of 2026. It has become the primary strategic airlifter of Europe and is in service with the air forces of the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Turkey, and even Luxembourg. It is also in service in Indonesia, Kazakhstan, and Malaysia in modest numbers. It should be noted that European countries as a whole do not have the same massive intercontinental strategic transport requirements that the United States Air Force does.
The Atlas has a payload capacity for up to 81,571 lbs (37 tonnes). Perhaps one of the most notable planned roles for the A400M is that of a drone mothership. Airbus is planning to have its first mothership version of the Atlas flying by 2029, with the intention that it will be able to release a swarm of around 50 drones or up to 12 heavy Remote Carriers.
5
Ilyushin Il-76
Up to 132,000 pounds of payload
The Ilyushin Il-76 (NATO Candid) is the primary strategic transport aircraft in Russian service and is also in service with a large number of air forces and cargo companies around the world. Many of those exported aircraft date from Soviet times. It is also the strategic airlifter being lost in the largest numbers, with examples having been destroyed during the war in Ukraine, in Mali operations, and in Sudan operations in recent years.
Russia is working to ramp production of the modernized Il-76MD-90A variant up to make up for its wartime losses and for many Soviet-era aircraft aging out. Around 10-12 Il-76s, plus two Il-76-based A-50Us, have been destroyed in the last five years, while around 20 more aircraft are estimated to have aged out of use over that period. The Il-76MD-90A variant has a payload capacity of up to 132,000 lbs (60 tonnes), considerably more than earlier variants.
Between 2019 and 20202, three Il-76s were delivered each year, with another two in 2021, five in 2023, six in 2023 and 2024, with a total of seven delivered in 2025. While this represents a ramp-up in deliveries, it is far below what Russia had been targeting. Part of the reason why production fell in the 2010s was that Russia moved the production of the aircraft from Uzbekistan to Ulyanovsk in Russia. The facility at Ulyanovsk is designed to support the production of 18 aircraft annually.
Why Did Antonov Construct The An-225 With 6 Engines?
A closer look at one of the coolest quirks of a legendary aircraft.
4
Xi’an Y-20 Kunpeng
Up to 145,505 pounds of payload
The Chinese Xi’an Y-20 Kunpeng is considered the Chinese answer to the Boeing C-17 strategic airlifter and is the largest transport military aircraft currently in production by payload capacity. Around 100 examples are estimated to have been produced by 2026, with China’s PLAAF (the Chinese Air Force) being the only operator.
China first introduced the aircraft in 2016 and is part of China’s grander ambition to break its dependence on Russian/Ukrainian/Soviet aircraft and engines. The aircraft is now being delivered equipped with four Chinese Shenyang WS-20 turbofans. The WS-20 engines were first observed on Y-20 aircraft in 2022, with the engines thought to have entered service with the aircraft in 2023.
While the primary role of the Y-20 is that of a strategic transporter, some variants are also capable of carrying out aerial refueling missions. China is also known to have been developing an AWACS variant of the aircraft, with the type first spotted in 2024. China already has a large fleet of AWACS aircraft based on smaller turboprop aircraft, as well as a few based on the Russian Il-76 aircraft. It is unclear if the AWACS Y-20 will complement or replace these older Il-76-based radar airplanes.
3
Boeing C-17 Globemaster III
170,900 pounds of payload
While the Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy may be the largest strategic airlifter in USAF service, the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is the workhorse. It is also the largest airlifter in the US Allied air forces’ service, having been exported to Australia, Canada, India, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, and the United Kingdom. A total of 279 were built, of which the lion’s share is in service with the US Air Force.
Production of the type came to an end in 2015, although Boeing has been mulling the feasibility of restarting production due to export demand for the aircraft. The next largest Western airlifter currently in production is the European Airbus A400M Atlas. That aircraft is much smaller and is designed for a different mission set, bridging the gap between a strategic and tactical airlifter.
The Globemaster III is powered by four Pratt & Whitney F117-PW-100 turbofan engines, each providing up to 40,440 lbf. The giant aircraft has a maximum payload capacity of 170,900 pounds or over 77 tons. One of the notable features of the aircraft is its ability to combine high payloads with short-field performance, including austere airfields. While the C-5M can carry two M1 Abrams tanks, the C-17 can carry one. It can also carry four Australian Bushmaster vehicles or three Black Hawk helicopters.
Lockheed C-5 Galaxy: Inside The Largest US Military Transport Aircraft Ever Constructed
The C-5M Super Galaxy serves a critical role in the US Air Force logistics around the world.
2
Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy
Up to 285,000 pounds of payload
The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy was the largest dedicated military aircraft to ever enter service with the United States Air Force. The aircraft was first developed in the 1960s, although it wasn’t until the 1980s that the type was able to reach its potential after having its wings fixed. Early aircraft had an engineering flaw that resulted in cracks in the wings, forcing the Air Force to operate them with lower payloads.
The Air Force purchased 81 C-5A variant Galaxies, followed by a later order for 50 updated C-5B variant aircraft in the 1980s. All the C-5Bs and two specially adapted C-5A airlifters have been upgraded to the modernized C-5M standard. The C-5M upgrade saw the aircraft refitted with General Electric F138-100 turbofan engines, producing 51,000 lbf of thrust per engine.
The new engines are quieter, more reliable, provide more thrust, a faster climb rate, and a shorter take-off roll. It also allows the aircraft to transport up to 285,000 lbs of cargo under certain conditions. The Air Force says that “the C-5M, with a cargo load of 281,001 pounds (127,460 kilograms), can fly 2,150 nautical miles, offload, and fly to a second base 500 nautical miles away from the original destination, all without aerial refueling.”
1
Antonov An-124 Ruslan
330,000 pounds of payload
Following the destruction of the only An-225 at Hostomel Airport in Ukraine, the related An-124 Ruslan is the largest military aircraft in the world by payload capacity. Less than 60 examples were built, with the type entering into service in 1986, in the twilight years of the Soviet Union. It was built by the Ukraine-based Antonov, although some were also assembled in Russia. Today, the main operators include the Russian Air Force and Ukraine’s Antonov Airlines.
Antonov says that “30 world records have been set by the An-124, including an absolute payload-to-altitude record when a 171.219-ton payload was lifted to the altitude of 10750 meters.” It also notes that “a record cargo is carried aboard the AN-124-100 – Siemens electric generator weighing 135.2 tons is transported from Düsseldorf (Germany) to Delhi (India). This transport operation is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records.”
The original An-124 was updated to the An-124-100M-150 variant with improved engines. This variant increased the payload capacity to 330,000 lbs or 150 tons. During the Ukraine conflict, some Russian An-124s, operated by Volga-Dnepr, were impounded in Germany and another one in Canada. In 2025, an Antonov Airlines An-124 was successfully repaired and fled to safety in Germany from Kyiv.
