Stratolaunch Roc

Roc is a twin-fuselage carrier aircraft built to launch rockets from the air. Its wingspan is about 117 metres, wider than a football field is long, and it first flew in April 2019.

The Antonov An-225 Mriya was heavier, but it was destroyed in 2022.

Context

The Roc was built by Stratolaunch, a company founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, and its design was meant to carry a rocket under its centre wing and release it high in the air. The aircraft has two fuselages joined by one wing, six engines, and is built in California's Mojave Desert.

Its first flight on 13 April 2019 lasted a little over two hours. A wingspan of about 117 metres (385 feet) is well above a football field's length of about 100 metres in the American game. The record is for wingspan; other aircraft have been heavier or longer.

Antonov's An-225 Mriya, with a wingspan of around 88 metres, had been the heaviest aircraft ever built, and it was destroyed during fighting at Hostomel airport in 2022. Stratolaunch later changed its plans from launching rockets to testing high-speed vehicles, using the Roc as a carrier for hypersonic test craft. Its landing gear has 28 wheels, and Stratolaunch has said that the aircraft has flown many times since its debut as part of a test programme.