US-based Radia has introduced the WindRunner, a next-generation cargo aircraft built to move outsized military systems and heavy equipment without dismantling, even into damaged or austere areas.
Radia’s new WindRunner platform is designed to deliver fully assembled systems—such as long-range radar arrays, tiltrotor aircraft, and complex combat assets—directly to operational theatres without the need for special infrastructure or disassembly. The aircraft offers a cavernous 6,800 m³ cargo volume, roughly seven times that of a Lockheed C-5 Galaxy and twelve times that of a C-17, enabling roll-on/roll-off loading of outsized assets.
The WindRunner can transport six CH-47 Chinook helicopters, four CV-22 Ospreys, four F-16 or F-35C fighters, or up to twelve AH-64 Apache assault helicopters without having to take them apart or refuel in the air.
It helps to compare the WindRunner to the Antonov An-225 Mriya, which was the world's biggest cargo plane until it was destroyed in 2022, to put the design in context. WindRunner is about 25 meters longer than the An-225, but its wings are around eight square meters smaller. This implies that its maximum take-off weight will be far lower than the An-225's 250-tonne capacity. The WindRunner is designed to be a volume-focused aircraft. It has an interior cargo space that is around six to seven times bigger than the An-225's, but its payload mass is projected to be closer to that of a C-17 class transport.
Author: Özgür Ekşi
