The World’s Largest Military Transport Aircraft in Preparation
U.S.-based Radia introduced the WindRunner for Defense project at the Air, Space & Cyber 2025 conference, set to become the world’s largest military transport aircraft. Its most striking feature is not payload weight, but its record-breaking cargo volume.
The WindRunner is designed to transport systems without disassembly. For instance, it can carry six CH-47 Chinook or twelve AH-64 Apache helicopters in a single flight. By comparison, the U.S. Air Force’s current heavy transport aircraft, the C-17 Globemaster III, can carry only two Chinooks. The WindRunner will also be able to transport fully assembled F-16 and F-35C fighter jets, CV-22 Osprey tiltrotors, and even rocket boosters.
The aircraft will offer a cargo volume exceeding 6,800 m³ — seven times greater than that of the U.S.’s largest transport aircraft, the C-5 Galaxy. It will be capable of landing on unpaved runways as short as 1,800 meters and will operate with standard ground support equipment.
Its dimensions are equally impressive: 108 meters in length, an 80-meter wingspan, and 24 meters in height. While its payload capacity of roughly 72 tons falls below that of the An-225 and An-124, it stands out for its enormous cargo space.
The WindRunner’s first flight is expected by 2029, with entry into service projected around 2030. Initially launched in 2024 for a purely civilian purpose — transporting wind turbine blades — the project has already attracted strong interest from the Pentagon and NATO allies.
