The 10 Most Popular Military Aircraft – That Aren’t Fighter Jets

Lockheed Martin’s C-130 is cleaning up in the military transport market, Source: Wikimedia Commons

Lockheed Martin C-130 HerculesThe most popular military transport

on the planet, Lockheed’s C-130 commands a 21%

global market share.

Globally, there are 900 of them in

service.Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Data source: Flightglobal Insight World Air Forces 2014

Beechcraft King AirA distant second

in this race, Beechcraft’s King Air is the world's

most popular small turboprop.

270 are in service, giving King Air a 6% market share.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Boeing C-17 Globemaster IIIThe most expensive

military transport on the market at $200 million, Boeing's C-17 must be giving customers their money's worth. How else could it claim the

No. 3 slot?

257 Globemasters are in service – 11 more than

last year, and enough to give this plane a 6%

market share. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Airbus CN-235Airbus calls its CN-

235 the world’s "lowest cost tactical

airlifter."

20 militaries use it -- including the U.S.

Coast Guard.

231 units in service give this plane a 6%

market share.Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Antonov An-26Nearly as popular as

the C-130 in its heyday, An-24 and

An-26 transports are fading fast.

Built by Ukraine's Antonov design

bureau, only 180 units remain in

service today – 41 fewer than last year.

Market share: 4%.Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Ilyushin Il-76The workhorse of the mid-1970s Red Army,

the Il-76 has been upgraded several

times over the past 40 years, and retains some popularity

globally.

172 units are now in use, giving the aircraft

a 4% global market share.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Antonov An-32Derived from the popular An-26,

Antonov's An-32 is valued for its ability to lift off in tropical and

high-altitude environments.

134 are in use around the world today, commanding a

respectable 3% market share.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Transall Allianz C-160Popular in Germany and France (which

built it in the 1960s) -- the Transall C-160 still has 123 units in

service.

On the list of the most popular military transports, that puts it in 8th place with a

3% share.Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Cessna 208 CaravanTextron’s Cessna

has built more than 1,700 Caravans

since introducing the plane in 1985.

120 military variants are still in use today, giving

Cessna a 3% global market share.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Shaanxi Y-8Making its debut on the list this year is

China’s Shaanxi Y-8. A clone of the

Antonov An-12, it’s built by China’s Shaanxi Aircraft

Company. 101 units are in

service around the globe, which works out to a 2% share.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

In transports as in fighter jets, America – and American planemakers –

continue to dominate the market.

Owning the top three brands on the market, U.S. planemakers Lockheed Martin, Textron, and Boeing build

one out of every three transport planes in use anywhere on the globe today.

They build planes for every purpose, from passenger and cargo transport to aerial

refueling, and at every price range...

...from a mere $2 million for the Cessna 208, to well over $200 million for a fully-loaded Boeing C-17.

Of the three, Lockheed Martin is easily the most profitable planebuilder.

For every dollar it collects in revenues, Lockheed Martin earns $0.07 in profits – a 7% net profit margin.

That beats Boeing’s 5% net, and leaves Textron’s sub-4% profit margin in the dust.

And that’s not all.

Lockheed Martin sells the world’s most popular military transport (the C-130).

Lockheed also sells the most popular fighter jet on the planet – the F-16 Falcon.

Lockheed Martin

The best-selling fighter jet and the best selling non-fighter jet?

If you were wondering why Lockheed Martin shares are up more than 50% over the past year, while Textron is up only 45%, and Boeing less

than 30%...

Now you know.

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