Aero Spacelines Pregnant Guppy

The Aero Spacelines Pregnant Guppy was a uniquely shaped cargo aircraft produced by the American company Aero Spacelines in the early 1960s. Derived from the surplus Boeing 377 Stratocruiser, the Guppy featured an enormously widened, bulging fuselage that could accommodate loads up to 8 feet in diameter—far larger than any conventional transport of its era. First flown on September 19 1962, the aircraft was built to meet an urgent requirement from the Saturn‑V rocket program, enabling the shipment of massive rocket stages and other oversized aerospace components between manufacturing plants on the West Coast and the Kennedy Space Center. Powered by the Stratocruiser’s four Pratt & Whitney R‑4360 radial engines, the Guppy could carry roughly 30 tonnes of cargo at a cruising speed of 300 knots and a range of about 2 500 km. Its distinctive shape and capability made it an instant icon, proving that modified airliners could solve logistics problems previously thought impossible. The Pregnant Guppy paved the way for later oversized transports such as the Super Guppy, Airbus A300‑600ST Beluga, and Boeing 747‑400F Dreamlifter, and remains a landmark in the history of aviation logistics. Its legacy continues to inspire engineers designing next‑generation heavy‑lift aircraft.

Aero Spacelines

Aero Spacelines Pregnant Guppy

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