Top 5 Military Planes With 4 Engines

Airplanes can have one, two, three, four, six, or even more engines. Ukraine’s famous Antonov An-225 Mriya had six engines (it also set many world records), while the B-52 Superfortress has eight. However, four engines are typically enough to power the largest military aircraft. Large four-engined military aircraft flown today are generally built by the United States, European, and Soviet/Russian manufacturers (many of China’s aircraft were Soviet/Russian aircraft built under license).

5 Ilyushin Il-76

Almost a thousand Il-76s have been produced, and remain in military and civil operation worldwide.

The Ilyushin Il-76 is one of the more iconic transport aircraft of the Soviet Union and Russia today. It is a multi-purpose, four-engine strategic airlifter built by Ilyushin during Soviet times. Russianplanes.net states that 968 have been produced, and 407 are still in operation. Il-76s have been built in different variants. Perhaps the most famous and eye-catching variant is the Beriev A-50 (Mainstay) AEWCS. Russian Beriev A-50Us have recently been in the news for being high-profile shoot-downs in Ukraine.

Photo: Karolis Kavolelis l Shutterstock

Both military and civil operators use Ilyushin Il-76s in an estimated 38 countries around the world. The largest operators of the Il-76 are Russia, Ukraine, and India. The Il-76 was also adapted into the Il-78 (the airborne refueling tanker variant). One of these Il-78 tanks (tail registration N78GF) was even purchased by the United States, supposedly for use for contracted air refueling for the US military. However, according to FlightAware, Philadelphia-based Meridican Inc. purchased the aircraft, and its airworthiness is unknown.

4 Airbus A400M Atlas

The Atlas is a large European turboprop transport operated by Germany, France, the UK, Spain, and others.

The Airbus A400M Altas is the largest European military transport, sized between the American C-130 and the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III. It has been built to operate on rough landing strips and can be fitted to perform aerial refueling and medical evacuation. It is among the newer large military aircraft in service today, having had its maiden flight in 2009 and first coming into service in 2013 with the French Air Force.

Photo: Mo Photography Berlin | Shutterstock

Airbus states that it has delivered 124 aircraft (all remain in service) and has total orders of 178 aircraft. Thanks to the A400M’s powerful turboprop engines, it can fly at both low speed and low altitude as well as higher ones. This makes it the only tanker capable of refueling the entire range of military aircraft at their preferred speeds and altitudes.

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3 Boeing E-3 Sentry

Developed from a Boeing 707/320, the E-3 Sentry is a vital part of the US Air Force’s situational awareness.

The E-3 Sentry is a modified Boeing 707/320 with an iconic rotating radar dome (30 feet in diameter). The E-3 is notable for being the last of the Boeing 707 derivatives after 34 years of production. The Air Force states that radar has a range of over 250 miles and can track low-flying aircraft far away.

The E-3 is one of the valuable airborne warning and control systems (AWACS) of the US Air Force making it not only the eyes and ears of the Air Force but also an integrated command and control platform. The E-3 Sentry is powered by four Pratt and Whitney TF33-PW-100A turbofan engines providing 20,500 pounds of thrust each.

2 Boeing C-17 Globemaster III

The C-17 has been sold to US allies around the world and has a payload of 170,900 lbs.

The C-17 Globemaster III is one of the largest military transport aircraft used by the US Air Force (the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is larger). It provides tactical and strategic airlift capabilities and was produced between 1991 and 2015. McDonnell Douglas first developed it before the company was merged with its rival, Boeing. The Globemaster has been sold to countries around the world, including the UK, Australia, and Canada.

Photo: Simon Vandamme | Shutterstock

Boeing states the Globemaster is powered by four Pratt & Whitney PW2040 engines, providing 40,440 pounds of thrust per engine. The aircraft is designed to carry large equipment, supplies, and troops to small airfields in harsh terrain anywhere in the world.

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1 Rockwell B-1 Lancer

The Rockwell B-1 Lancer has the highest payload of any US Air Force strategic bomber.

The Rockwell B-1 Lancer is one of three strategic bombers in US Air Force service (the others being the B-2 Spirit and the B-52 Stratofortress). The B-1 Lancer is able to carry the heaviest payload of any US bomber (75,000 pounds) – although the Russian Tupolev Tu-160 has a greater payload of 88,200 lbs. The B-1 Lancer is notable for having a variable-sweep wing design and

Photo: Sascha Hahn/Shutterstock

The B-1 Lancer is powered by four General Electric F-101-GE -102 turbofan engines, each supplying 30,000+ pounds of thrust with an afterburner. According to Fluegzueg, 100 B-1Bs and four B-1As were produced. The B-1 Lancer is expected to be gradually retired as the new Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider comes into service.