The largest aircraft flying today is the Airbus A380, while the largest cargo aircraft is the Boeing 787-8. When it comes to military aircraft, the largest United States aircraft is the Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy, and the largest cargo military aircraft in the world is the Ukrainian/Soviet Antonov An-124 Ruslan. One of the largest aircraft ever produced was the Antonov An-225 Myria, but the only example ever completed was destroyed in 2022.
The US C-5 Galaxy is the older aircraft that was first developed in the 1960s and was the first aircraft to incorporate turbofan engines. The An-124 is a more modern aircraft in comparison, developed in the 1980s and entered service in 1986, in the dying years of the USSR. Whereas the United States Air Force remains the only operator of the Super Galaxy, the Ruslan has found civil applications. Here is what to know about the size comparison of the two giants.
Variants Of The Two Giant Airlifters
The original C-5 Galaxy variant was the C-5A. A total of 81 of these were built between 1969 and 1973, and some were lost to accidents. Notably, these had major structural issues with the wings that limited their payloads until new wings were fitted in the 1970s. These have all been lost, scrapped, or stored, except for two examples that were modified into the C-5C to have a larger internal cargo space for carrying outsized cargo.
The follow-on variant was the C-5B. Lockheed built 50 of these between 1985 and 1989, and these have all been upgraded to the C-5M Super Galaxy standard. In all, the USAF has 52 C-5s in service. The An-124 Ruslan is the original military variant of the An-124, while the An-124-100 is the baseline commercial variant, upgraded to the standard An-124-100M.
The upgraded variant is the An-124-100M-150 variant, although it seems only one has been upgraded. Most of the world’s An-124s are operated by Russia and Ukraine, although single-parked examples are found in Libya and the UAE. Ukraine’s Antonov Airlines has seven examples, while the Russian Air Force and Volga-Dnepr Airlines have 18. Only some of these are currently active, and four of these Russian An-124s are impounded by sanctions in Canada and Germany.
C-5M Super Galaxy Vs An-124 Physical Dimensions
The Soviet An-124-100M Ruslan is generally larger than the older C-5M Super Galaxy, although the C-5 does have a marginal length advantage. The C-5M Super Galaxy measures 247 feet and one inch in length, making it five inches longer than the An-124 at 226 feet and eight inches. The An-124-100M stands higher at 69 feet and two inches, which is around four feet taller than the Galaxy’s 65 feet and one inch.
The An-124-100M spreads its wings wider with a wingspan of 240 feet and six inches compared with the Galaxy’s 222 feet and nine inches. For comparison, the enlarged final Boeing 747-8 variant comes with a wingspan of around 224 feet and seven inches, making it the first Boeing commercial aircraft to be categorized as Code F at airports. The Airbus A380 has a wingspan of 261 feet and six inches, giving it the widest span of these giants.
|
C-5M Super Galaxy (per Lockheed Martin) |
An-124-100M Ruslan (per Antonov / Volga Dnepr) |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Length |
247 feet, 1 inch |
226 feet, 8 inches |
|
Height |
65 feet, 1 inch |
69 feet, 2 inches |
|
Wingspan |
222 feet, 9 inches |
240 feet, 6 inches |
|
Internal fuselage width |
19 feet |
21 feet |
|
Cargo compartment length |
143 feet, 9 inches |
118 feet |
Importantly, the An-124-100M comes with a wider fuselage. Its internal cargo compartment measures 21 feet in diameter, while the Super Galaxy has an internal width of 19 feet. The An-124 also has a higher compartment, standing 14 feet and five inches to the Galaxy’s 13 feet and six inches. However, the Galaxy’s cargo compartment length is significantly longer at 143 feet and nine inches to the Ruslan’s 118 feet.
C-5M Super Galaxy Vs An-124 Maximum Payload
When it comes to weight and payload, the two have some significant differences. The C-5M is optimized for military rapid deployment when operating at its maximum payload weight, needing shorter takeoff distances. The An-124, on the other hand, is more optimized for increased range and long-haul transportation of commercial cargo.
The C-5M has an edge in its maximum payload weight over the standard An-124, but not the An-124-100M-150. The Super Galaxy has a max payload weight of 281,000 lbs (127 tonnes), while the standard An-124 comes with 264,555 lbs (120 tonnes). However, the incredibly rare An-124-100M-150 has a max payload of 330,693 lbs (150 tonnes). The C-5M has a slightly lower empty weight of 380,000 lbs than the An-124’s 385,800 lbs.
|
C-5M vs An-124 max payloads |
|
|---|---|
|
C-5 Super Galaxy max payload |
281,000 lbs |
|
Standard An-124 max payload |
264,555 lbs |
|
An-124-100M-150 max payload |
330,693 lbs |
|
Record An-124 payload |
377,473 lbs |
Antonov Airlines says, “Thirty world records have been set on the AN-124, including an absolute payload-to-altitude record when a 171,219-ton payload was lifted to the altitude of 10750 meters.” 171,219 tons is 377,473 lbs. In short, it appears that when comparing the largest beasts of these giants, the Rulsan has a payload advantage over the Super Galaxy.
C-5M Super Galaxy Vs An-124 Range
Both aircraft have similar cruise speeds (around 450 knots). The Super Galaxy has a range advantage when operating at its maximum payload capacity, able to fly around 2,300 nautical miles compared with the An-124’s 2,000 nautical mile range at max capacity. When carrying a mid-sized payload, the range advantage flips with the Super Galaxy ranging around 4,800 nautical miles to the Ruslan’s 6,200 nautical miles.
When these aircraft are being ferried with no cargo, the Super Galaxy is able to fly around 7,000 nautical miles, while the Ruslan gets around 7,600 nautical miles. The Rulsan is able to carry more fuel than the Super Galaxy. The C-5M takes around 332,500 lbs of fuel, while the An-124 is able to hold around 467,380 lbs of fuel, helping it achieve longer ranges.
|
C-5M Super Galaxy |
An-124 Ruslan |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Range (max load) |
2,300 nautical miles |
2,000 nautical miles |
|
Ferry range |
7,000 nautical miles |
7,600 nautical miles |
|
Fuel carried |
332,500 lbs |
467,380 lbs |
|
MTOW |
840,000 lbs |
886,000 lbs (928,000 lbs for -100M-150) |
The Ruslan also has a larger maximum take-off weight (MTOW). Standard An-124s have an MTOW of 886,000 lbs, increasing to 928,000 lbs for the An-124-100M-150. Meanwhile, the Super Galaxy’s MTOW is 840,000 lbs. The Super Galaxy has a take-off run advantage operating at its MTOW, needing just 5,400 feet of take-off run, compared with the 9,800 feet the Ruslan needs. That said, the Super Galaxy needs a longer landing run than the Ruslan at max load.
C-5M Super Galaxy Vs An-124 Engines And Thrust
When it comes to engines, both aircraft are quad-engined. The Galaxy was re-engined with the General Electric CF6 turbofan (designated the GE F138), while the Ruslan carries four Progress D-18T turbofans. These engines all provide around 51,000 lbf each and 204,000 lbf overall.
The D-18T engine was first run in 1980 and is only found on the An-124 Ruslan, and previously the An-225. They have only been built in relatively low numbers, with fewer than 200 being delivered. They were built by Ukraine’s Motor Sich factory in Zaporizhzhia in Ukraine. Incredibly, it appears Motor Sich is still supplying turbojet engines for Turkey’s Akinci and Kizilelma drones.
By contrast, the CF6 is one of the world’s most prolific families of turbofans, with over 8,000 engines delivered. These are found on variants of the Airbus A300, A330, Boeing 767, 747, and the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and MD-11. A naval variant of the engine, the General Electric LM2500, powers many of the world’s warships today.
Antonov An-124 Ruslan Is Bigger Than Super Galaxy
Overall, it has to be said that the An-124, and especially the An-124-100M-150, is bigger than the Super Galaxy. While the Super Galaxy may have a longer internal compartment, the An-124’s cargo compartment is wider and has the edge in space. The Super Galaxy’s payload volume is around 31,000 cubic feet, while the An-124’s is around 35,800 cubic feet.
The C-5M Super Galaxy is fundamentally an older design and even shares a common design origin with the Boeing 747 Jumbo. Boeing took its failed bid for the Air Force contract and developed the civilian Jumbo. That said, the modified and re-engined Super Galaxy is newer, with the final examples handed over to the Air Force in 2018. There was a time when Lockheed looked into producing a civilian variant of the C-5 Galaxy called the L-500.
Had this airliner been built, it would have been able to carry up to 1,000 passengers, far more than the maximum 605 or so the Jumbo can carry and more than the 853 the A380 can carry. But it was never built, and there were never civilian cargo variants of the C-5 either. No passenger variant of the An-124 was built, although it serves both civilian and military uses. The United States also contracts An-124 from time to time to deliver outsized military cargo loads. For example, the first three AH-64E Apache attack helicopters for the Indian Army were delivered by a Ukrainian An-124 Ruslan contracted by Boeing in July 2025.
