Launch customer lined up for C-27J Next Generation
Leonardo announced on November 11 that final testing of its C-27J Spartan Next Generation tactical transport had begun, adding that it had secured a launch customer for the platform
Hungary orders two KC-390 multi-mission transports
The Hungarian government signed a contract with Embraer on November 17 for the acquisition of two KC-390 Millennium multi-mission transport aircraft, which will be delivered to the nation from 2023
French Transall conducts African farewell tour
The last French Air Force Transall C-160R deployed overseas completed a memorial tour of African countries in August, marking the end of its 50 years of operations on the continent.
Big Beasts: The World’s Four Largest Military Transports
Key.Aero explores and analyses four of the world’s largest operational military transport aircraft
The world's biggest helicopter
So big it can operate as a mobile hospital, the Russian Mi-26 Halo has the power to lift a C-130 Hercules. This is the story of the largest helicopter ever made…
Aircraft Report: Boeing C-17 Globemaster III
For 25 years, this incredible military transport aircraft has been vital for the US Air Force, among others. Watch our video about it…
Third KC-390 for Brazil
A third Embraer KC-390 Millennium medium-lift tactical transport has been handed over to the Força Aérea Brasileira (FAB, Brazilian Air Force).
New countermeasures for USAF AC-130J, MC-130J
Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has been contracted to develop and deliver new radio frequency countermeasure (RFCM) systems for the US Special Operations Command’s (USSOCOM) AC-130J and MC-130J fleets.
First operational CMV-22B arrives at NAS North Island
The US Navy’s first operational Bell Boeing CMV-22B Osprey tiltrotor was delivered to the Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron 30 (VRM-30) “Titans” at Naval Air Station (NAS) North Island in San Diego, California, on June 22.
Saluting the C-5 Galaxy!
From Vietnam to a host of humanitarian missions, the US Air Force’s largest aircraft has been using its heavy-lifting capabilities for 50 years. And it’s still got at least another two decades left in it yet…
The larger transport aircraft emerged in the 1930s and World War II drove their development as the United States fought two wars, in Europe and in the Pacific, and the United Kingdom fought in Europe, North Africa and the Far East. The United States Army and the RAF operated the Douglas C-47 Dakota transport for troops and cargo during World War II; the US Airforce did not exist until September 1947.
Like many of the military transport aircraft used at the time, the C-47 was a version of a civilian airliner. Even today this is true, the Airbus A330 airliner has a military multirole, refuelling, tanker and transport version that is used by a number of airforces including the RAF, the French Armee de l’air and the Republic of Korea Airforce.
The Cold War saw the fixed wing transport anfmd its helicopter equivalent developed to meet the global reach of the superpowers’ confrontation. In the 1950s and 1960s, the RAF flew the Blackburn Beverley C. Mk 1 which at the time was the RAF’s largest aircraft, with a wingspan of 162 feet and powered by four 2,850-hp Bristol Centaurus turboprops.
In the Vietnam war, the helicopter became a major transport asset and the Bell UH-1 Iroquois, also known as the Huey, was the primary troop carrier in the field. Historically the Russians have built the largest transport helicopters. Their Mil Mi-26 is the world’s largest transport helicopter, it can carry 20 metric tonnes of cargo or vehicles and entered service in the early 1980s; a few years after the start of the Soviet Union’s war in Afghanistan.
Stay up to date with the latest Military Transport Aircraft News
In this section you will be able to read the latest transport aircraft news, whether it is about the in-development Russian Ilyushin IL-112V light troop transport, or the Airbus A400M Grizzly, currently used by the French military. The modern-day transport fixed wing aircraft began in the 1950s when the United States Airforce (USAF) bought the Lockheed Martin C-130, which does not need a paved runway. It can transport troops, provide medical evacuation and vehicle transport, and updated versions are operating today with a large number of militaries.
The USAF Boeing C-17 Globemaster entered service in the 1990s for cargo transport with a 77 metric tonne payload capacity more than triple the C-130, but it is the Lockheed Martin C-5 Galaxy that is the largest transport aircraft in the USAF fleet. Entering into service in the 1970s, the Galaxy carries helicopters and ground vehicles. Its current version is the Super Galaxy, C-5M, with a maximum payload of 127 metric tonnes. The last of the 52 C-5s upgraded to this latest type were delivered to the USAF in 2018. Russia’s heaviest transport aircraft, the Antonov An-124-100 Ruslan, entered service in the 1980s, has a 120 metric tonne capacity and still operates today. China began operating its heavy lift aircraft, the Xian Y-20 Kunpeng in 2016.
In the 21st Century the Boeing Bell V-22 Osprey tiltrotor entered service with the US Marine Corps (USMC) as a troop carrier with a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capability. Smaller aircraft for troop deployment includes the US special forces’ Boeing MH-6 Little Bird helicopter, used for delivering troops into the heart of combat zones. The USMC will be the first to receive the US military’s most capable transport helicopter, which enters service in the next few years, the Sikorsky C-53K King Stallion. It is the successor to the Super Stallion and can carry 12 metric tonnes.
From heavy lift VTOL to tiltrotors and new and old fixed wing strategic long-range transports, all the latest news about these logistics machines can be found on this page.
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