Military transport aircraft

Airbus A400M Atlas transport aircraft of the Royal Air Force.

A military transport aircraft, military cargo aircraft or airlifter is a military-owned transport aircraft used to support military operations by airlifting troops and military equipment. Transport aircraft are crucial to maintaining supply lines to forward bases that are difficult to reach by ground or waterborne access, and can be used for both strategic and tactical missions. They are also often used for civilian emergency relief missions by transporting humanitarian aid.

Air frames

Fixed-wing

A Douglas C-47 Skytrain, derived from the Douglas DC-3

A 1970s Ilyushin-Il-76 airlifter designed for both strategic and tactical military operations

Fixed-wing transport aeroplanes are defined in terms of their range capability as strategic airlift or tactical airlift to reflect the needs of the land forces which they most often support. These roughly correspond to the commercial flight length distinctions: Eurocontrol defines short-haul routes as shorter than 1,500 km (810 nmi), long-haul routes as longer than 4,000 km (2,200 nmi) and medium-haul between.^[1]

The military glider is an unpowered tactical air transport which has been used in some campaigns to transport troops and/or equipment to the battle front.

Rotary wing

A Sikorsky CH-53K

Military transport helicopters are used in places where the use of conventional aircraft is impossible. For example, the military transport helicopter is the primary transport asset of US Marines deploying from LHDs and LHA. The landing possibilities of helicopters are almost unlimited, and where landing is impossible, for example densely packed jungle, the ability of the helicopter to hover allows troops to deploy by abseiling and roping.

Transport helicopters are operated in assault, medium and heavy classes. Air assault helicopters are usually the smallest of the transport types, and designed to move an infantry squad or section and their equipment. Helicopters in the assault role are generally armed for self-protection both in transit and for suppression of the landing zone. This armament may be in the form of door gunners, or the modification of the helicopter with stub wings and pylons to carry missiles and rocket pods. For example, the Sikorsky S-70, fitted with the ESSM (External Stores Support System), and the Hip E variant of the Mil Mi-8 can carry as much disposable armament as some dedicated attack helicopters.

Medium transport helicopters are generally capable of moving up to a platoon of infantry, or transporting towed artillery or light vehicles either internally or as underslung roles. Unlike the assault helicopter they are usually not expected to land directly in a contested landing zone, but are used to reinforce and resupply landing zones taken by the initial assault wave. Examples include the unarmed versions of the Mil Mi-8, Super Puma, CH-46 Sea Knight, and NH90.

Heavy lift helicopters are the largest and most capable of the transport types, currently limited in service to the CH-53 Sea Stallion and related CH-53E Super Stallion, CH-47 Chinook, Mil Mi-26, and Aérospatiale Super Frelon. Capable of lifting up to 80 troops and moving small Armoured fighting vehicles (usually as slung loads but also internally), these helicopters operate in the tactical transport role in much the same way as small fixed wing turboprop air-lifters. The lower speed, range and increased fuel consumption of helicopters are more than compensated by their ability to operate virtually anywhere.

Military transport aircraft

Aircraft	Country	Payload (t)	Max takeoff weight	Cargo hold Length	Cargo hold Width	Cargo hold Height
Antonov An-124	Ukraine	150	402,000 kg (886,000 lb)	36 m (118 ft)	6.4 m (21 ft)	4.4 m (14 ft)
Lockheed C-5 Galaxy	United States	129.274	381,018 kg (840,001 lb)	37 m (121 ft)	5.8 m (19 ft)	4.1 m (13 ft)
Antonov An-22^[2]	Ukraine	80	250,000 kg (550,000 lb)	32.7 m (107 ft)	4.44 m (14.6 ft)	4.44 m (14.6 ft)
Boeing C-17^[3]	United States	77.5	265,352 kg (585,001 lb)	26.83 m (88.0 ft)	5.49 m (18.0 ft)	3.76 m (12.3 ft)
Xi'an Y-20	People's Republic of China	66	220,000 kg (490,000 lb)	20 m (66 ft)	4 m (13 ft)	4 m (13 ft)
Ilyushin Il-76	Soviet Union/ Russia	60	190,000 kg (420,000 lb)	24.54 m (80.5 ft)	3.45 m (11.3 ft)	3.4 m (11 ft)
Antonov An-70	Ukraine	47	145,000 kg (320,000 lb)	19.1 m (63 ft)	4 m (13 ft)	4.1 m (13 ft)
Airbus A330 MRTT^[4]	Europe	45	233,000 kg (514,000 lb)	45 m (148 ft)	5.28 m (17.3 ft)	2.54 m (8.3 ft)
Airbus A400M	Europe	37	141,000 kg (311,000 lb)	17.71 m (58.1 ft)	4 m (13 ft)	3.85 m (12.6 ft) rear section：4 m (13 ft)
Kawasaki C-2	Japan	36	141,000 kg (311,000 lb)	16 m (52 ft)	4 m (13 ft)	4 m (13 ft)
Embraer C-390	Brazil	26	86,999 kg (191,800 lb)	18.5 m (61 ft)	3.00 m (9.84 ft)	3.04 m (10.0 ft)
Shaanxi Y-9^[5]	People's Republic of China	25 (30 max)	65,000 kg (143,000 lb)	16.2 m (53 ft)	3.20 m (10.5 ft)	2.35 m (7.7 ft)
Mil Mi-26^[6]	Soviet Union/ Russia	20	56,000 kg (123,000 lb)	12 m (39 ft)	3.3 m (11 ft)	2.9 m (9.5 ft)
Lockheed Martin C-130J^[3]	United States	19.8	70,370 kg (155,140 lb)	12.5 m (41 ft)	3.05 m (10.0 ft)	2.75 m (9.0 ft)
Antonov An-178	Ukraine	16 (18 max)	51,000 kg (112,000 lb)	13.21 m (43.3 ft)	2.73 m (9.0 ft)	2.73 m (9.0 ft)
Transall C-160	France	16	51,000 kg (112,000 lb)	17.20 m (56.4 ft)	3.15 m (10.3 ft)	2.98 m (9.8 ft)
Sikorsky CH-53K	United States	15.876	39,916 kg (88,000 lb)	9.14 m (30.0 ft)	2.46 m (8.1 ft)	2 m (6.6 ft)
Alenia C-27J Spartan^[7]	Italy	11.6 max	32,500 kg (71,700 lb)	11.43 m (37.5 ft)	3.33 m (10.9 ft)	2.59 m (8.5 ft)
Boeing CH-47 Chinook^[8]	United States	10.886	22,680 kg (50,000 lb)	9.14 m (30.0 ft)	2.53 m (8.3 ft)	1.98 m (6.5 ft)
Antonov An-132^[9]	Ukraine	9.2	28,500 kg (62,800 lb)	13.45 m (44.1 ft)	1.81 m (5.9 ft)	2.4 m (7.9 ft)
Airbus C295	Spain	7 (9.25 max)	23,200 kg (51,100 lb)	12.69 m (41.6 ft)	2.7 m (8.9 ft)	1.9 m (6.2 ft)