Military transport aircraft Military transport aircraft or military cargo aircraft are typically fixed and rotary wing cargo aircraft which are used to deliver troops , weapons and other military equipment by a variety of methods to any area of military operations around the surface of the planet , usually outside of the commercial flight routes in uncontrolled airspace . Originally derived from bombers , military transport aircraft were used for delivering airborne forces during the Second World War and towing military glider s . Some military transport aircraft are tasked to performs multi - role duties such as aerial refueling and , tactical , operational and strategic airlifts onto unprepared runways , or those constructed by engineers . Fixed - wing transport aircraft . Fixed - wing transport aircraft are defined in terms of their range capability as strategic airlift or tactical airlift to reflect the needs of the land forces which they most often support . These roughly correspond to the commercial flight length distinctions : A more specialised role of a cargo aircraft is that of transporting fuel in support of other aircraft with more limited flight endurance such as fighters or helicopters . Smaller cargo aircraft , known as " utility " , are often used to transport military communications equipment as temporary or permanent platforms , and in the command role by providing airborne command post or as an air ambulance . Transport helicopters . Military transport helicopters are used in places where the use of conventional aircraft is impossible . For example the military transport helicopter is the primary transport asset of US Marines deploying from LHD s and LHA . The landing possibilities of helicopter are almost unlimited , and where landing is impossible , for example densely packed jungle , the ability of the helicopter to hover allows troops to deploy by abseiling and roping . Transport helicopters are operated in assault , medium and heavy classes . Air assault helicopters are usually the smallest of the transport types , and designed to move an infantry section and their equipment . Helicopters in the assault role are generally armed for self - protection both in transit and for suppression of the landing zone . This armament may be in the form of door gunners , or the modification of the helicopter with stub wings and pylons for the carriage of missiles and rocket pods . For example the Sikorsky S - 70 fitted with the ESSM ( External Stores Support System ) and the " Hip E " variant of the Mil Mi - 8 can carry as much disposable armament as some dedicated attack helicopters . The assault helicopter can be thought of as the modern successor to the military glider . Finally , there is the generic term utility helicopter , which generally refers to medium - lift designs . Not all militaries are able to operate a full range of transport helicopters so the medium transport type as the most useful compromise is probably the most common specialist transport type . Medium transport helicopters are generally capable of moving up to a platoon of infantry and are capable of being able to transport towed artillery or light vehicles either internally or as under - slung roles . Unlike the assault helicopter they are usually not expected to land directly in a contested landing zone , but are used to reinforce and resupply landing zones taken by the initial assault wave . Examples include the unarmed versions of the Mil Mi - 8 , Super Puma , and CH - 46 Sea Knight . Heavy lift helicopters are the largest and most capable of the transport types , currently limited in service to the CH - 53 Sea Stallion and related CH - 53E Super Stallion , CH - 47 Chinook , Mil Mi - 26 , and Aérospatiale Super Frelon . Capable of lifting up to 80 troops and moving small AFV s ( usually as slung loads but also internally ) , these helicopters operate in the tactical transport role in much the same way as small fixed wing turboprop air - lifters . The lower speed , range and increased fuel consumption of helicopters are more than compensated by their ability to operate virtually anywhere .