10 Largest Military Planes Ever Built

Honorable Mention: Hughes H-4 HerculesDespite the fact this aircraft was built almost entirely of birch, Howard Hughes’ monstrous H-4 is better known by the nickname ‘The Spruce Goose.’

10. Me-323During the Second World War, Nazi Germany pushed the limit when it came to developing many types of weapons.

9. Boeing B-29 SuperfortressIntroduced in 1944, the B-29 Superfortress was, for its time, one of the largest and most advanced bombers in the world.

8. Blohm & Voss BV 238The period around the Second World War saw every major military power developing a fleet of flying boats to be used for reconnaissance and support.

7. Martin JRM MarsNot to be outdone by Nazi Germany, the Allies had their fleets of flying boats as well. The American Martin JRM Mars holds the distinction as the largest flying boat to ever enter production.

6. Convair B-36The largest mass-produced piston engine aircraft ever made, the B-36 Peacemaker arrived on the scene when jet aircraft were becoming the norm, making it nearly obsolete from the start.

5. Convair XC-99Long before the double-decker A-380 we know today, there was the XC-99 military transport.

4. Antonov An-124For those wondering why the C-5 Galaxy isn’t on this list, look no further than this beast. Title of the ‘World’s heaviest production military cargo plane’ belongs to the Russian built An-124.

3. Boeing B-52The last B-52 rolled off the assembly lines in 1962. Despite this, and the fact that current B-52 crewmembers weren’t even born when their planes were built, the Stratofortress continues to serve the United States military more than 50 years on.

2. Tupolev Tu-160In response to the American development of the swept-wing supersonic B-1 bomber, the Soviet Union pushed for the development of their own high-speed modern strategic bomber during the 1960s and 1970s.

1. Antonov An-225Topping our list is a military cargo plane of which only one has so far been built. At 275 feet long and with a maximum takeoff weight of 640 tons, the An-225 ‘Dream’ is the longest and heaviest plane ever built.