How Many Humvees Can The Largest US Military Cargo Plane Hold?

The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV; colloquially known worldwide as the Humvee) is as ubiquitous in the United States military today as the Jeep was during World War II. The Humvee replaced the Jeep back in 1983, so it's been around for decades. Most servicemembers have driven or ridden inside a Humvee at least once in their careers, and they've been deployed all over the world.

Humvees are designed to be transported, so they can be flown or shipped to just about anywhere. If the military needs to move a lot of Humvees, which happens during large-scale exercises and deployments, getting them there quickly often falls to one aircraft in particular. The C-5M Super Galaxy is the U.S. military's largest cargo plane, and it's a beast. While it's incredibly heavy on its own, the C-5M can carry a lot of equipment. They weigh as much as 840,000 lbs., or 420 tons. That's close to a million pounds, and they're used to transport all kinds of heavy equipment. 

A Humvee can be up-armored, and there are many variations, which is one of the reasons they found a home in the military. If they're not armored and are just the basic trucks, they weigh between 5,200 and 6,400 lbs. Of course, weight isn't the only factor when transporting Humvees because they take up some space. Still, despite their weight and overall size, a C-5M can safely carry up to 16 Humvees, depending on configuration.

The C-5M Super Galaxy is a heavy transport plane with a massive carrying capacity. They've even been used to transport submarines, so an entire convoy of Humvees isn't a challenge. Because the C-5M is used for a variety of transport missions, carrying hundreds of fully-loaded troops, a couple of tanks, some helicopters, and cargo, there are different numbers of Humvees it can carry. If they're palletized and among other equipment and personnel, a C-5M can transport eight palletized Humvees.

If the plane needs to carry nothing but Humvees, that's no problem, as they can be loaded side-by-side. This is how the plane, which has a cargo hold measuring 143 feet, 9 inches, can carry 16 Humvees, each of which is 15 feet long. That limits the number of Humvees per row while still allowing 16 to be carried. To load and unload, the C-5M lowers itself to the ground by retracting its landing gear. It then opens its rear cargo compartment and drops its ramp.

Vehicles like Humvees can be driven on and secured, though they're typically pulled in via a winch and chain system, which is the safest option. This is especially true if they're palletized, as they can be rolled right into the cargo compartment and secured in place.. It's all done very quickly and efficiently, ensuring a C-5M can be loaded and unloaded as quickly as possible. By the 2040s, the C-5M will be replaced, though it's unclear how many Humvees the Air Force will be able to transport once it retires its largest plane.