Antonov developed it to transport the Buran spaceplane (the Soviet counterpart of the space shuttle) as well as Energia rocket launchers, but after being renovated following the demise of the Soviet space program, the plane rapidly found other airlifting business. With a maximum takeoff weight of 710 tons, the An-225 is the largest aircraft ever built. It holds the total airlifted payload record of 559,580 pounds, as well as the airlifted single-item payload record of 418,830 pounds. It has the 290-foot-longest wingspan of any plane currently in flight, as well as six engines. ¹⁾

Except for NASA, every organization in the world has retired the bloated airplane. The Guppy's large proportions are ideal for transporting spacecraft and rocket components, according to the US space agency. The first Super Guppy was built from the expanded fuselage of a Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter, which flew for the first time in 1965. ²⁾

The C-5 Galaxy is the largest aircraft commonly used by the United States military, with a payload capacity of about 135 tons. In May 2017, the Air Force announced the reactivation of the monster airlifer. The C-5 can travel up to 7,000 miles without refueling, making it the world's longest-range military airlifter. The C-5 is used by the Air Force when a large amount of tonnage needs to be moved swiftly. ³⁾

In the 2000s, Boeing discovered that it need a cargo plane with massive storage capacity to transfer components for the 787 Dreamliner, which has parts manufactured all over the world. The idea was to create a special cargo container around its largest airliner, the 747. The Dreamlifter boasts the world's largest cargo hold, at 65,000 cubic meters and capable of transporting three times the volume of a 747-400F freighter. ⁴⁾