View source for Cargo aircraft

[[File:An-124 ready.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|A [[Volga-Dnepr Airlines]] [[Antonov An-124 Ruslan|An-124]] prepares for loading in 2008]]
[[File:Clamshell Doors.png|thumb|right|331x331px|The C-124 Globemaster II had two large clamshell doors and a ramp for loading equipment in the nose. I took this photo in April 1953 at the Seoul, Korea, airport.]]
A '''cargo aircraft''' (also known as '''freight aircraft''', '''freighter''', '''airlifter''' or '''cargo jet''') is a [[fixed-wing aircraft]] that is designed or converted for the carriage of [[Air cargo|cargo]] rather than [[Passenger aircraft|passengers]]. Such aircraft generally feature one or more large doors for loading cargo. Passenger amenities are removed or not installed, although there are usually basic comfort facilities for the crew such as a galley, lavatory, and bunks in larger planes.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nycaviation.com/2015/02/anatomy-freighter/38093 | title=Flying in Cargo Class: The Anatomy of an Air Freighter | date=4 February 2015 }}</ref> Freighters may be operated by civil passenger or [[cargo airline]]s, by private individuals, or by government agencies of individual countries such as the [[armed forces]].

Aircraft designed for cargo flight usually have features that distinguish them from conventional passenger aircraft: a wide/tall fuselage cross-section, a [[high-wing]] to allow the cargo area to sit near the ground, numerous wheels to allow it to land at unprepared locations, and a high-mounted tail to allow cargo to be driven directly into and off the aircraft.

By 2015, dedicated freighters represent 43% of the 700 billion ATK (available tonne-kilometer) capacity, while 57% is carried in [[Airliner#Baggage holds|airliner's cargo holds]]. Also in 2015, Boeing forecast belly freight to rise to 63% while specialised cargoes would represent 37% of a 1,200 billion ATKs in 2035.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.boeing.com/resources/boeingdotcom/commercial/about-our-market/cargo-market-detail-wacf/download-report/assets/pdfs/wacf.pdf |title=World Air Cargo Forecast |publisher=Boeing |date=2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150701211243/http://www.boeing.com/resources/boeingdotcom/commercial/about-our-market/cargo-market-detail-wacf/download-report/assets/pdfs/wacf.pdf |archive-date=2015-07-01 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
The Cargo Facts Consulting firm forecasts that the global freighter fleet will rise from 1,782 to 2,920 cargo aircraft from 2019 to 2039.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://cargofacts.com/2800-new-freighters-to-be-added-in-the-next-20-years-forecast-finds/ |title=2800+ new freighters to be added in the next 20 years, forecast finds |work=Cargo Facts |date=May 8, 2019 |access-date=July 2, 2019 |archive-date=July 2, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702150706/https://cargofacts.com/2800-new-freighters-to-be-added-in-the-next-20-years-forecast-finds/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Vickers Vernon.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|The [[Vickers Vernon]], introduced in 1921, was the first cargo plane for military troops]]
[[File:Arado Ar 232B-0 RAE.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|The [[Arado Ar 232]], the first purpose built cargo aircraft]]
[[File:Lockheed C-130 Hercules.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|A [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]] [[Lockheed C-130 Hercules]], the archetypal [[military transport aircraft]], over the [[Atlantic Ocean]] in 2014]]
[[File:Antonov An-225 Beltyukov-1.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|The [[Antonov An-225 Mriya]], the heaviest cargo aircraft]]
Aircraft were put to use carrying cargo in the form of [[air mail]] as early as 1911. Although the earliest aircraft were not designed primarily as cargo carriers, by the mid-1920s aircraft manufacturers were designing and building dedicated cargo aircraft.

In the [[United Kingdom|UK]] during the early 1920s, the need was recognized for a freighter aircraft to transport troops and material quickly to pacify tribal revolts in the newly occupied territories of the [[Middle East]]. The [[Vickers Vernon]], a development of the [[Vickers Vimy Commercial]], entered service with the [[Royal Air Force]] as the first dedicated troop transport in 1921. In February 1923 this was put to use by the [[Royal Air Force|RAF]]'s [[RAF Iraq Command|Iraq Command]] who flew nearly 500 [[Sikhism|Sikh]] troops from [[Kingarban]] to [[Kirkuk]] in the first ever strategic airlift of troops.<ref>Wragg, David ''Airlift A History of Military Air Transport'' Shrewsbury Airlife Publishing 1986 {{ISBN|0-906393-61-2}} p. 13.</ref><ref>Johnson, Brian & Cozens, H. I. ''Bombers The Weapon of Total War'' London Methuen 1984 {{ISBN|0-423-00630-4}} p. 38.</ref> [[Vickers Victoria]]s played an important part in the [[Kabul airlift of 1928–1929|Kabul Airlift]] of November 1928 – February 1929, when they evacuated diplomatic staff and their dependents together with members of the Afghan royal family endangered by a [[Reforms of Amānullāh Khān and civil war|civil war]].<ref name="Andrews p158-9">Andrews and Morgan 1988, pp. 158–159.</ref> The Victorias also helped to pioneer air routes for [[Imperial Airways]]' [[Handley Page HP.42]] airliners.<ref name="Andrews p157">Andrews and Morgan 1988, p. 157.</ref>

The [[World War II]] German design, the [[Arado Ar 232]] was the first purpose-built cargo aircraft. The Ar 232 was intended to supplant the earlier [[Junkers Ju 52]] freighter conversions, but only a few were built. Most other forces used freighter versions of airliners in the cargo role as well, most notably the [[C-47 Skytrain]] version of the [[Douglas DC-3]], which served with practically every Allied nation. One important innovation for future cargo aircraft design was introduced in 1939, with the fifth and sixth prototypes of the [[Junkers Ju 90]] four-engined military transport aircraft, with the earliest known example of a rear loading ramp. This aircraft, like most of its era, used [[Conventional landing gear|tail-dragger landing gear]] which caused the aircraft to have a decided rearward tilt when landed. These aircraft introduced the ''Trapoklappe'', a powerful ramp/hydraulic lift with a personnel stairway centered between the vehicle trackway ramps, that raised the rear of the aircraft into the air and allowed easy loading.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kay |first=Anthony |title=Junkers Aircraft and Engines 1913–1945 |year=2004 |publisher=Putnam Aeronautical Books |location=London |isbn=0-85177-985-9 }}<!--|access-date=March 8, 2013. --></ref> A similar rear loading ramp even appeared in a somewhat different form on the [[Tricycle landing gear|nosewheel gear]]-equipped, late WW II era American [[Budd RB-1 Conestoga]] twin-engined cargo aircraft.

Postwar Europe also served to play a major role in the development of the modern air cargo and air freight industry. It is during the [[Berlin Airlift]] at the height of the [[Cold War]], when a massive mobilization of aircraft was undertaken by the [[Free world|West]] to supply [[West Berlin]] with food and supplies, in a virtual around the clock [[Air bridge (logistics)|air bridge]], after the [[Soviet Union]] closed and [[blockade]]d Berlin's land links to the west. To rapidly supply the needed numbers of aircraft, many older types, especially the [[Douglas C-47 Skytrain]], were pressed into service. In operation it was found that it took as long or longer to unload these older designs as the much larger [[tricycle landing gear]] [[Douglas C-54 Skymaster]] which was easier to move about in when landed. The C-47s were quickly removed from service, and from then on flat-decks were a requirement of all new cargo designs.

In the years following the war era a number of new custom-built cargo aircraft were introduced, often including some "experimental" features. For instance, the US's [[C-82 Packet]] featured a removable cargo area, while the [[C-123 Provider]] introduced the now-common rear fuselage/upswept tail shaping to allow for a much larger rear loading ramp. But it was the introduction of the [[turboprop]] that allowed the class to mature, and even one of its earliest examples, the [[C-130 Hercules]], in the 21st century as the [[Lockheed Martin C-130J]], is still the yardstick against which newer [[military transport aircraft]] designs are measured. Although larger, smaller and faster designs have been proposed for many years, the C-130 continues to improve at a rate that keeps it in production.

"Strategic" cargo aircraft became an important class of their own starting with the [[Lockheed C-5 Galaxy]] in the 1960s and a number of similar Soviet designs from the 70s and 80s, and culminating in the [[Antonov An-225]], the world's largest aircraft. These designs offer the ability to carry the heaviest loads, even [[main battle tank]]s, at global ranges. The [[Boeing 747]] was originally designed to the same specification as the C-5, but later modified as a design that could be offered as either passenger or all-freight versions. The "bump" on the top of the fuselage allows the crew area to be clear of the [[cargo container]]s sliding out of the front in the event of an accident.

When the [[Airbus A380]] was announced, the maker originally accepted orders for the freighter version A380F, offering the second largest payload capacity of any cargo aircraft, exceeded only by the An-225.<ref name="a380f_specs">{{cite web|url=http://www.airbus.com/en/aircraftfamilies/a380/a380f/specifications/ |title=A380 Freighter Specifications |publisher=Airbus |access-date=18 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100630081836/http://www.airbus.com/en/aircraftfamilies/a380/a380f/specifications/ |archive-date=30 June 2010}}</ref> An aerospace consultant has estimated that the A380F would have 7% better payload and better range than the [[Boeing 747-8#747-8 Freighter|747-8F]], but also higher trip costs. 
Starting May 2020 Portuguese Hi Fly started charting cargo flights with an A380, carrying medical supplies from China to different parts of the world in the response to the COVID-19 outbreak.<ref>{{cite news |last1=McWhirter |first1=Alex |title=Hi Fly converts A380 for cargo use |url=https://www.businesstraveller.com/business-travel/2020/07/10/hi-fly-converts-a380-for-cargo-use/ |access-date=12 May 2021 |work=Business Traveller |date=10 July 2020}}</ref> It allows almost {{val|320|ul=m3}} of cargo between the three decks.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hi Fly converts A380 to meet cargo demands during covid-19 crisis |url=https://hifly.aero/media-center/hi-fly-converts-a380-to-meet-cargo-demands-during-covid-19-crisis/ |access-date=12 May 2021 |work=Hifly |date=7 July 2020}}</ref> In November 2020 Emirates started offering an A380 mini-freighter, which allows for 50 tons of cargo in the belly of the plane.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ramanujan |first1=Sukanya |title=Emirates SkyCargo introduces Airbus A380 'mini-freighter' charter operations |url=https://www.skycargo.com/media-centre/emirates-skycargo-introduces-airbus-a380-mini-freighter-charter-operations/ |access-date=12 May 2021 |work=Emirates SkyCargo |date=11 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Visnevskyte |first1=Elzbieta |title=Emirates SkyCargo introduces A380 'mini-freighter' |url=https://www.aerotime.aero/elzbietavisnevskyte/26386-emirates-skycargo-introduces-a380-mini-freighter |access-date=12 May 2021 |work=aerotime.aero |date=11 November 2020}}</ref>

== Importance ==
Cargo aircraft has had many uses throughout the years, but the current importance of cargo aircraft is not highly talked about. Cargo planes today can carry almost everything ranging from perishables and supplies to fully built cars and livestock. The most use of cargo aircraft comes from the increase in online shopping through retailers like Amazon and eBay. Since most of these items are made all over the world,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nelson |first=Kristi |date=2021-02-01 |title=The History of Air Cargo |url=https://www.grandaire.com/news/the-history-of-air-cargo/ |access-date=2023-12-04 |website=Grand Aire, Inc |language=en-US}}</ref> air cargo is used to get it from point A to point B as fast as possible. Air cargo significantly adds to the world trade value,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Value of Air Cargo |url=https://www.iata.org/en/programs/cargo/sustainability/benefits/ |access-date=2023-12-04 |website=www.iata.org |language=en}}</ref> Air cargo transports over US$6 trillion worth of goods, accounting for approximately 35% of world trade by value. This helps producers keep the costs of goods down, allows consumers to be able to purchase more items, and allows stores to remain with goods on the shelf.  

Not only is air cargo important in the delivery and shipping aspect, it is also highly important in the job industry. Air cargo companies around the United States employ over 250,000 workers,<ref>{{Cite web |id=BTS 46-23 |date=October 10, 2023 |title=U.S. Cargo and Passenger Airlines Lost 125 Jobs in August 2023; Employment Remains 8.3% Above Pre-Pandemic August 2019 |url=https://www.bts.gov/newsroom/us-cargo-and-passenger-airlines-lost-125-jobs-august-2023-employment-remains-83-above-pre#:~:text=U.S.%20cargo%20airlines%20employed%20268%2C730,decreased%20employment%20by%201%2C115%20jobs. |access-date=December 4, 2023 |website=Bureau of Transportation Statistics}}</ref> U.S. cargo airlines employed 268,730 workers in August 2023, 34% of the industry total.

==Cargo aircraft types==
Nearly all commercial cargo aircraft presently in the fleet are derivatives or transformations of passenger aircraft. However, there are three other methods to the development of cargo aircraft.<ref>{{cite book |author=United States Congress: Office of Technology Assessment |title=Impact of Advanced Air Transport Technology |chapter=Future Air Cargo Aircraft |chapter-url=http://www.princeton.edu/~ota/disk3/1982/8231/823105.PDF |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |pages=20–27 |access-date=12 May 2021}}</ref>

===Derivatives of non-cargo aircraft===
[[File:Frola 91927 1259322186 (5777864292).jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|A [[Boeing 737-300]] converted freighter of [[Toll Aviation]] in 2009]]Many types can be converted from airliner to freighter by installing a main deck cargo [[door]] with its control systems; upgrading floor [[Beam (structure)|beam]]s for cargo loads and replacing passenger equipment and furnishings with new linings, ceilings, lighting, floors, drains and [[smoke detector]]s. Specialized engineering teams rival [[Airbus]] and [[Boeing]], giving the aircraft another 15–20 years of life. Aeronautical Engineers Inc converts the [[Boeing 737]]-300/400/800, [[McDonnell Douglas MD-80]] and [[Bombardier CRJ200]]. [[Israel Aerospace Industries]]’ Bedek Aviation converts the 737-300/400/700/800 in about 90 days, [[767-200]]/300s in about four months and [[747-400]]s in five months, and is looking at the [[Boeing 777]], [[Airbus A330]] and [[Airbus A321|A321]].<ref name="MRO27sep2018">{{cite news |url=https://www.mro-network.com/airframes/available-aircraft-feedstock-limiting-cargo-conversions |title= Available Aircraft Feedstock Limiting Cargo Conversions |author=Ben Hargreaves |date=Sep 27, 2018 |work=Aviation Week Intelligence Network}}</ref> Voyageur Aviation located in [[North Bay, Ontario]] converts the DHC-8-100 into the DHC-8-100 Package Freighter Conversion.<ref name="SkiesMag21Apr2017">{{cite news |url=https://www.skiesmag.com/news/voyageur-unveils-dash-8-100-package-freighter-conversion/ |title=Voyageur Unveils DHC-8-100 Package Freighter Conversion |author=Andy Cline |date=Apr 21, 2017}}</ref>An [[Airbus A300|A300B4]]-200F conversion cost $5M in 1996, an [[Airbus A300|A300]]-600F $8M in 2001, a [[McDonnell Douglas MD-11]]F $9M in 1994, a [[Boeing 767|B767]]-300ERF $13M in 2007, a [[Boeing 747-400]] PSF $22M in 2006, an [[Airbus A330|A330]]-300 P2F was estimated at $20M in 2016 and a [[Boeing 777]]-200ER BCF at $40M in 2017. By avoiding the main deck door installation and relying on lighter [[elevator]]s between decks, LCF Conversions wants to convert A330/[[Airbus A340|A340s]] or B777s for $6.5M to $7.5M.<ref name="AirlineEcoMarch2014">{{cite news |url=http://www.lcfconversions.com/uploads/news_17.pdf |title=Converting the A340 |work=Airline Economics |date=March 2014 |access-date=2018-08-07 |archive-date=2022-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303154941/http://www.lcfconversions.com/uploads/news_17.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
In the mid-2000s, passenger 747-400s cost $30–50 million before a $25 million conversion, a [[Boeing 757]] had to cost $15 million before conversion, falling to below $10 million by 2018, and $5 million for a [[737 Classic]], falling to $2–3 million for a [[Boeing 737-400]] by 2018.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.aircraftvaluenews.com/growth-freighter-fleet-fails-bolster-values-older-types/ |title=Growth in Freighter Fleet Fails to Bolster Values Of Older Types |author=Aircraft Value News |date=November 26, 2018}}</ref>

Derivative freighters have most of their development costs already amortized, and lead time before production is shorter than all new aircraft. Converted cargo aircraft use older technology; their direct operating costs are higher than what might be achieved with current technology. Since they have not been designed specifically for air cargo, loading and unloading is not optimized; the aircraft may be pressurized more than necessary, and there may be unnecessary apparatus for passenger safety.

===Dedicated civilian cargo aircraft===
A dedicated commercial air freighter is an airplane which has been designed from the beginning as a freighter, with no restrictions caused by either passenger or military requirements. Over the years, there has been a dispute concerning the cost effectiveness of such an airplane, with some cargo carriers stating that they could consistently earn a profit if they had such an aircraft. To help resolve this disagreement, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) selected two contractors, Douglas Aircraft Co. and Lockheed-Georgia Co., to independently evaluate the possibility of producing such a freighter by 1990. This was done as part of the Cargo/Logistics Airlift Systems Study (CLASS). At comparable payloads, dedicated cargo aircraft was said to provide a 20 percent reduction in trip cost and a 15 percent decrease in aircraft price compared to other cargo aircraft. These findings, however, are extremely sensitive to assumptions about fuel and labor costs and, most particularly, to growth in demand for air cargo services. Further, it ignores the competitive situation brought about by the lower capital costs of future derivative air cargo aircraft.

The main advantage of the dedicated air freighter is that it can be designed specifically for air freight demand, providing the type of loading and unloading, flooring, fuselage configuration, and pressurization which are optimized for its mission. Moreover, it can make full use of NASA's ACEE results, with the potential of significantly lowering operating costs and fuel usage. Such a high overhead raises the price of the airplane and its direct operating cost (because of depreciation and insurance costs) and increases the financial risks to investors, especially since it would be competing with derivatives which have much smaller development costs per unit and which themselves have incorporated some of the cost-reducing technology.

===Joint civil-military cargo aircraft===
One benefit of a combined development is that the development costs would be shared by the civil and military sectors, and the number of airplanes required by the military could be decreased by the number of civil reserve airplanes purchased by air carriers and available to the military in case of emergency.
There are some possible drawbacks, as the restrictions executed by joint development, the punishments that would be suffered by both civil and military airplanes, and the difficulty in discovering an organizational structure that authorizes their compromise. Some features appropriate to a military aircraft would have to be rejected, because they are not suitable for a civil freighter. Moreover, each airplane would have to carry some weight which it would not carry if it were independently designed. This additional weight lessens the payload and the profitability of the commercial version. This could either be compensated by a transfer payment at acquisition, or an operating penalty compensation payment. Most important, it is not clear that there will be an adequate market for the civil version or that it will be cost competitive with derivatives of passenger aircraft.

=== Unpiloted cargo aircraft ===
[[File:PACP-750XSTOL2.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|The [[Chinese Academy of Sciences]] flying an unpiloted [[PAC P-750 XSTOL]] in 2012]]
[[File:Boeing 747-8F Nose cargo door.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|A [[Boeing 747]]'s open cargo door nose at the [[Paris Air Show]] in 2011]]
[[Package delivery|Rapid delivery]] demand and [[e-commerce]] growth stimulate [[UAV]] freighters development for 2020:<ref>{{cite news |url=http://aviationweek.com/future-aerospace/unmanned-cargo-aircraft-head-toward-flight-tests |title=Unmanned Cargo Aircraft Head Toward Flight Tests |date=Feb 2, 2018 |author=Graham Warwick |work=Aviation Week & Space Technology}}</ref>
* Californian [[Elroy Air cargo|Elroy Air]] wants to replace trucks on inefficient routes and should fly a subscale prototype;
* Californian [[Natilus]] plans a [[Boeing 747]] sized transpacific unpiloted freighter and should fly a subscale prototype;
* Californian [[Sabrewing Aircraft]] targets small regional unpiloted freighter and should fly a 65%-scale vehicle in 2018 fall;
* The [[Chinese Academy of Sciences]] flew its {{convert|3,300|lb|t|adj=on|order=flip}} payload AT200 in October 2017 based on New Zealand's [[PAC P-750 XSTOL]] utility turboprop
* Chinese package carrier [[SF Express]] conducted emergency logistics tests in December 2017 with a [[Tengoen Technologies]]’ TB001 medium-altitude UAV, and plan an eight-turbofan carrying {{cvt|20|t|lb}} more than {{cvt|4,100|nmi|km|order=flip}}
* [[Boeing]] flew its [[Boeing Cargo Air Vehicle]] prototype, a [[vertical takeoff and landing]] (eVTOL) craft.

[[Carpinteria, California]]-startup [[Dorsal Aircraft]] wants to make light standard [[ISO container]]s part of its unpiloted freighter structure where the wing, engines and tail are attached to a [[Vertebral column|dorsal spine]] fuselage.<!--<ref name=AvWeek19march2018>-->
Interconnecting {{convert|5|–|50|ft|m|adj=mid|order=flip|-long}} long aluminum containers carry the flight loads, aiming to lower overseas airfreight costs by 60%, and plan to convert [[C-130]]H with the help of 
[[Wagner Aeronautical]] of San Diego, experienced in passenger-to-cargo conversions.<ref name=AvWeek19march2018>{{cite news |url= http://aviationweek.com/future-aerospace/week-technology-march-19-23-2018 |title=The Week In Technology, March 19–23, 2018 |date=Mar 19, 2018 |author=Graham Warwick |work=Aviation Week & Space Technology}}</ref>

Beijing-based [[Beihang University|Beihang UAS Technology]] developed its [[Harbin BZK-005|BZK-005]] high-altitude, long-range UAV for cargo transport, capable of carrying {{cvt|1.2|t|lb}} over {{cvt|1,200|km|nmi}} at {{cvt|5,000|m}}.<!--ref name=Flight30apr2019-->
[[Garuda Indonesia]] will test three of them initially from September 2019, before operations in the fourth quarter.<!--ref name=Flight30apr2019-->
Garuda plans up to 100 cargo UAVs to connect remote regions with limited airports in [[Maluku Islands|Maluku]], [[Western New Guinea|Papua]], and [[Sulawesi]].<ref name=Flight30apr2019>{{cite news |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/garuda-and-beihang-uas-technology-partner-on-cargo-u-457792/ |title=Garuda and Beihang UAS Technology partner on cargo UAVs |date=30 Apr 2019 |author=Firdaus Hashim |work=FlightGlobal}}</ref>

== Examples ==
===Early air mail and airlift logistics aircraft===
[[File:Avro York.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|This [[Avro York]] cargo plane, photographed by the [[Royal Air Force]], was later used by [[Winston Churchill]]]]
* [[Avro Lancastrian]] (Transatlantic mail)
* [[Avro York]] ([[Berlin Airlift]])
* [[Boeing C-700|Boeing C-7000]]
* [[Curtiss JN-4]]
* [[Douglas M-2]]
* [[Douglas DC-3]]
* [[Douglas DC-4]]
* [[Douglas DC-6]]

===Converted airliners===
* [[Airbus A300]]
* [[Airbus A310]]
* [[Airbus A320 family]]{{efn|name=Conversions|Conversions}}
* [[Airbus A330]]
* [[Airbus A350]]
* [[ATR 72]]
* [[HESA Simourgh]] (An-140)
* [[Boeing 727]]{{efn|name=Conversions}}
* [[Boeing 737]]{{efn|name=Conversions}}
* [[Boeing 747]]
* [[Boeing 757]]
* [[Boeing 767]]
* [[Boeing 777]]
* [[Bombardier Dash 8]]-100<ref>[http://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/saf-sec-sur/2/nico-celn/c_d.aspx?lang=eng&aprv_num=SA17-51&ISU_NUM=1&START_DATE=2017-05-10&AUTH_DESC=TC&DESC=Cabin+reconfiguration+to+Class+E+cargo+compartment+and+supernumerary+area.&FRGN_NUM=&aprv_type=STA&PARTS_NUM=&id_num=49905 tc.gc.ca] {{Dead link|date=May 2021}}</ref>/-300<ref>[http://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/saf-sec-sur/2/nico-celn/c_d.aspx?lang=eng&amp%3baprv_num=Q-LSA10-040&amp%3bISU_NUM=4&amp%3bSTART_DATE=2014-01-20&amp%3bAUTH_DESC=TC&amp%3bDESC=Passenger+to+Class+E+Cargo+Conversion&amp%3bFRGN_NUM=&amp%3baprv_type=LSTA&amp%3bPARTS_NUM=&amp%3bid_num=37745 tc.gc.ca] {{Dead link|date=May 2021}}</ref>{{efn|name=Conversions}}
* [[Bristol Britannia]]
* [[British Aerospace 146]]QT{{efn|name=Conversions}}
* [[British Aerospace ATP]]F{{efn|name=Conversions}}
* [[Bombardier CRJ-200]]
* [[Douglas DC-3]]
* [[Douglas DC-8]]
* [[Douglas DC-9]]
* [[Handley Page Herald]]
* [[Ilyushin Il-96]]
* [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10]]
* [[McDonnell Douglas MD-11]]
* [[Tupolev Tu-204]]
===Oversize transport===
* [[Aero Spacelines Mini Guppy]]
* [[Aero Spacelines Pregnant Guppy]]
* [[Aero Spacelines Super Guppy]]
* [[Airbus Beluga]] A300B4-608ST
* [[Airbus BelugaXL]] A330-743L
* [[Boeing 747 LCF]] Dreamlifter

===Light aircraft===
* [[Antonov An-2]]
* [[Basler BT-67]]
* [[Beechcraft 1900]]
* [[CASA C-212 Aviocar]]
* [[Cessna 208|Cessna Caravan]] – freight door and belly pod equipped
* [[Cessna 408 SkyCourier]] – developed jointly with FedEx Express<ref name=28nov2017PR>{{cite press release |url=http://txtav.com/en/newsroom/2017/11/textron-aviation-unveils-new-large-utility-turboprop-the-cessna-skycourier |title=Textron Aviation unveils new large-utility turboprop, the Cessna SkyCourier; FedEx Express signs as launch customer for up to 100 aircraft |date=Nov 28, 2017 |publisher=Textron Aviation Inc.}}</ref>
* [[DHC-2|de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver]]
* [[DHC 6|de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter]]
* [[Dornier 228]]
* [[Douglas C-47 Skytrain]]
* [[EMB 110|Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante]]
* [[Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner]]
* [[Harbin Y-12]]
* [[Indonesian Aerospace N-219]]
* [[Let 410|LET 410]]
* [[Shorts 330]] – drop ramp and twin tailed [[vertical stabilizer]]
* [[Short Skyvan]]

===Military cargo aircraft===
* [[Airbus A330 MRTT]]
* [[Airbus A400M Atlas]]
* [[Alenia C-27J Spartan]]
* [[Antonov An-12]]
* [[Antonov An-22]]
* [[Antonov An-26]]
* [[Antonov An-32]]
* [[Antonov An-124 Ruslan]]
* [[Antonov An-225 Mriya|Antonov An-225 ''Mriya'']]
* [[Antonov An-178]]
* [[Blackburn Beverley]]
* [[Boeing C-17 Globemaster III]]
* [[Embraer KC-390]]
* [[Handley Page Hastings]]
* [[Ilyushin Il-76]]
* [[Kawasaki C-2]]
* [[Lockheed C-5 Galaxy]]
* [[Lockheed C-130 Hercules]] (civilian version: [[Lockheed L-100|L-100]])
* [[Lockheed C-141 Starlifter]]
* [[Shaanxi Y-9]]
* [[Short Belfast]]
* [[Xian Y-20]]

===Experimental cargo aircraft===
* [[Hughes H-4 Hercules]] ("Spruce Goose")
* [[Lockheed R6V|Lockheed R6V Constitution]]
* [[LTV XC-142]]

===Comparisons===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+ Comparison of cargo aircraft capabilities
|-
! scope="col" | Aircraft
! scope="col" data-sort-type="number" | Volume<br />([[Cubic metre|m<sup>3</sup>]])
! scope="col" data-sort-type="number" | Payload
! scope="col" data-sort-type="number" | Cruise
! scope="col" data-sort-type="number" | Range
! scope="col" | Usage
|-
! scope="row" | [[Airbus A400M]]
| 270 || {{cvt|37000|kg|lb|-3}} || 780&nbsp;km/h (420 kn) || 6,390&nbsp;km (3,450&nbsp;nmi) || Military
|-
! scope="row" | [[Airbus A300]]-600F
| 391.4 || {{cvt|48000|kg|lb|-3}} || – || 7,400&nbsp;km (4,000&nbsp;nmi) || Commercial
|-
! scope="row" | [[Airbus A330]]-200F
| 475 ||{{cvt|70000|kg|lb|-3}} || {{cvt|871|km/h|kn}} || 7,400&nbsp;km (4,000&nbsp;nmi) || Commercial
|-
! scope="row" | [[Airbus A380]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Hifly Cargo - Airbus A380, 9H-MIP |url=https://hifly.aero/public/uploads/2020/10/A380-800_9H-MIP.pdf |website=hifly.aero |access-date=12 May 2021}}</ref>
| 342 ||{{cvt|68000|kg|lb|-3}} || {{cvt|871|km/h|kn}} || 14,800&nbsp;km (8,000&nbsp;nmi) || Commercial
|-
! scope="row" | [[Airbus Beluga]]
| 1210 ||{{cvt|47000|kg|lb|-3}} || – || 4,632&nbsp;km (2,500&nbsp;nmi) || Commercial
|-
! scope="row" | [[Airbus BelugaXL]]
| 2615 ||{{cvt|53000|kg|lb|-3}} || 737 km/h (398 kn) || 4,074&nbsp;km (2,200&nbsp;nmi) || Commercial
|-
! scope="row" | [[Antonov An-124]]
| 1028 ||{{cvt|150000|kg|lb|-3}}|| 800&nbsp;km/h (430 kn) || 5,400&nbsp;km (2,900&nbsp;nmi) || Both
|-
! scope="row" | [[Antonov An-22]]
| 639 ||{{cvt|80000|kg|lb|-3}}|| 740&nbsp;km/h (400 kn) || 10,950&nbsp;km (5,910 nmi) || Both
|-
! scope="row" | [[Antonov An-225]]
| 1300 ||{{cvt|250000|kg|lb|-3}}|| 800&nbsp;km/h (430 kn) || 15,400&nbsp;km (8,316 nmi) || Commercial
|-
! scope="row" | [[Boeing C-17]]
|  592|| {{cvt|77519|kg|lb|-2}} || 830&nbsp;km/h (450 kn) ||4,482&nbsp;km (2,420 nmi) || Military
|-
! scope="row" | [[Boeing 737]]-700C
| 107.6 ||{{cvt|18200|kg|lb|-3}}|| 931&nbsp;km/h (503 kn) || 5,330&nbsp;km (2,880 nmi) || Commercial
|-
! scope="row" | [[Boeing 757]]-200F
| 239 ||{{cvt|39780|kg|lb|-2}}|| 955&nbsp;km/h (516 kn) || 5,834&nbsp;km (3,150 nmi) || Commercial
|-
! scope="row" | [[Boeing 747-8F]]
| 854.5 ||{{cvt|134200|kg|lb|-2}}|| 908&nbsp;km/h (490 kn) || 8,288&nbsp;km (4,475 nmi) || Commercial
|-
! scope="row" | [[Boeing 747 LCF]]
| 1840 ||{{cvt|83325|kg|lb|-2}}|| 878&nbsp;km/h (474 kn) || 7,800&nbsp;km (4,200 nmi) || Commercial
|-
! scope="row" | [[Boeing 767]]-300F
| 438.2 ||{{cvt|52700|kg|lb|-2}}|| 850&nbsp;km/h (461 kn) || 6,025&nbsp;km (3,225 nmi) || Commercial
|-
! scope="row" | [[Boeing 777]]F
| 653 || {{cvt|103000|kg|lb|-3}}|| 896&nbsp;km/h (484 kn) || 9,070&nbsp;km (4,900 nmi) || Commercial
|-
! scope="row" | [[Bombardier Dash 8]]-100
| 39 || {{cvt|4700|kg|lb|-2}}|| 491&nbsp;km/h (265 kn) || 2,039&nbsp;km (1,100 nmi) || Commercial
|-
! scope="row" | [[HESA Simourgh]]
| 49 || {{cvt|6000|kg|lb|-2}}|| 533&nbsp;km/h (288 kn) || 3900&nbsp;km (2105 nmi) || Commercial \ Military
|-
! scope="row" | [[Lockheed C-5]]
|  880|| {{cvt|122470|kg|lb|-2}} || 830&nbsp;km/h (450 kn) || 4,440&nbsp;km (2,400 nmi) || Military
|-
! scope="row" | [[Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules|Lockheed Martin C-130J]]
|  170|| 18,700 kg (41,000 lb)|| 644&nbsp;km/h (348 kn) || 3,300&nbsp;km (1,800&nbsp;nmi) || Military
|-
! scope="row" | [[Douglas DC-10]]-30
|  || {{cvt|77000|kg|lb|-3}}|| 908&nbsp;km/h (490 kn) || 5,790&nbsp;km (3,127&nbsp;nmi) || Commercial
|-
! scope="row" | [[McDonnell Douglas MD-11]]
| 440 || {{cvt|91670|kg|lb|-2}}|| 945&nbsp;km/h (520 kn) || 7,320&nbsp;km (3,950 nmi) || Commercial
|-
|[[Airbus A350|Airbus A350F]]
|695
|111,000 kg (245,000 lb)
|903 km/h (488 kn)
|8,700 km (4,700 nmi)
|Commercial
|-
|[[EADS CASA C-295|Airbus Casa C295-W]]
|57
|9,250 kg (20,300 lb)
|482 km/h (260 kn)
|1,277 km (690 nmi)
|Military
|}

==See also==
* [[Airlift]]
* [[Air transport]]
* [[Cargo airline]]
* [[Combi aircraft]]
* [[Modular aircraft]]
* [[Preighter]]

==External links==
* [http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/lift_comp.htm Airlift Cargo Aircraft]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050906123324/http://airmailpioneers.org/history/Sagahistory.htm History of the Airmail Service]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRZ6oZcx8Q8 Indo-Russian Transport Aircraft (IRTA)]

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