Transport aircraft with the heaviest cargo payload

17 of the 20 transport aircraft in the WeaponSpecs database publish a cargo payload figure. Ranked on the published number alone, highest first, with no weighting and no composite score. The 3 transport aircraft with no published figure are not ranked, absent data is never treated as a low value.

4 of the 17 entries below (China, Russia) rest on manufacturer or state claims with limited independent verification, marked † in the table. Treat their position in this ranking as directional, not tested.

Transport aircraft with the heaviest cargo payload, ranked by published cargo payload
#	System	Cargo payload	Source
1	C-5M Super Galaxy Lockheed Martin	129,274 kg	reference ↗ checked 2026-07-02
2	C-17 Globemaster III Boeing	77,519 kg	reference ↗ checked 2026-07-02
3	Y-20 † Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation (XAC)	66,000 kg	reference ↗ checked 2026-07-02
4	Il-76MD-90A † Ilyushin	60,000 kg	reference ↗ checked 2026-07-02
5	A330 MRTT Airbus Defence and Space	45,000 kg	reference ↗ checked 2026-07-26
6	Il-78M † Ilyushin	40,000 kg	reference ↗ checked 2026-07-02
7	A400M Atlas Airbus Defence and Space	37,000 kg	reference ↗ checked 2026-07-02
8	Kawasaki C-2 Kawasaki Heavy Industries	30,000 kg	reference ↗ checked 2026-07-02
9	KC-46 Pegasus Boeing	29,500 kg	reference ↗ checked 2026-07-02
10	Embraer C-390 Millennium Embraer Defense & Security	26,000 kg	reference ↗ checked 2026-07-05
11	Y-9 † Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation (XAC)	25,000 kg	reference ↗ checked 2026-07-02
12	C-130J Super Hercules Lockheed Martin	19,051 kg	reference ↗ checked 2026-07-02
13	PLS A2 (Palletized Load System) Oshkosh Defense	14,965 kg	reference ↗ checked 2026-08-02
14	C-295 Airbus Defence and Space	9,250 kg	reference ↗ checked 2026-07-02
15	HEMTT M977 Oshkosh Defense	9,072 kg	reference ↗ checked 2026-07-04
16	MTVR (Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement) Oshkosh Defense	6,350 kg	reference ↗ checked 2026-07-19
17	FMTV A2 (Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles) Oshkosh Defense	4,535 kg	reference ↗ checked 2026-07-19

Compiled from public manufacturer, defense-ministry and reference sources. Published defense figures are approximations and are often stated under different conditions, so treat this ordering as directional rather than a tested result. A board is only generated where at least 5 systems in the class publish the figure. How we compile specs →

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Other transport aircraft rankings

Range Max speed Service ceiling Engine power Thrust Troop capacity Unit cost Units built Operator countries

Cargo payload in other classes

UGV / combat robot