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This HyperTransport plane can carry more than a 747, fly further than any other cargo aircraft, and is far more fuel-efficient - this is the futuristic cargo competitor to the AN-225 built by both Boeing and Airbus.

In today's video, lets' explore the future of cargo planes, what would a future heavy-lift aircraft look like, and why it may never be built.

Let us jump in and if by the end of the video you feel like I've entertained you with this What If, then a like is appreciated.

The Antonov An-225 is the world's largest most powerful cargo plane. It can carry heavy and bulky items, like a generator or a mining drill, across the world. It was even essentially in transporting the engines for the Boeing 777X to the airframe across North America.

But for all its usefulness, it has some flaws.

First, the fact is there is only one An-225 in existence, with a 2nd airframe hidden half-built in a warehouse. This plane was originally built for the soviet space shuttle, and it was never really intended to be the defacto heavy lifter the world needs today. It is relatively slow, doesn't have a great range fully loaded, and burns a ton of fuel to get where it needs to go.

Simply put, it is old technology, its operators charge a huge premium to the market and don't have any of the versatility we have seen from more modern platforms like the 747-8 series - which is both a freighter and a fantastic passenger aircraft.

That leads us to the topic of today's video, what would it look like if Boeing and Airbus built their own version of the An-225?

This plane would be modern heavy-lift aircraft utilizing the very best new technologies, with the learnings from other passenger and cargo airframes like the A380 and 747, and with the combined efforts of both aerospace firms - a truly world class giga-flying machine.

This plane would be called the Proteus, after the greek god of the same name who served Poseidon and was capable of changing his shape at will to serve the task at hand. A fitting description don't you think.

This beast would have six high-bypass engines, such as the GE9X found on the Boeing 777X, or a future derivative, and would have a range greater than that of the AN-225 and at least equal to the 747-8F. With better engines and using learnings in fuel efficiency, we would expect this aircraft to have a load distance greater than 4,120 nmi (7,630 km).

Its unique design would afford plenty of advantages, with a double tail at the end to allow more space onboard, something that we have already seen utilized by the world's largest plane the Stratolaunch. Its engines and wings would use fuel-saving technology derived by the 787 series, such as saw-teeth" or "chevrons" on the back of the engine casing, to help reduce noise generated from the operation of the engine. The wings would use racked wingtip technology like on the Boeing 777X, to reduce fuel burn while cruising.

When it comes to cargo-carrying capacity, this is where it gets interesting. This aircraft would be able to load in full containers, like those found on trains, trucks and boats, and fill in the missing link found in intermodal delivery channels, directly into the cargo cabin using its own onboard lift technology.. This would mean that while it wouldn't be as long as the 747 and not suitable to tall items - like aircraft wings, but it would be more flexible for boxy items like giant turbines or engines.

We would require this aircraft to carry at least 200 tonnes, or around 450,600 lb, much like the AN-225. Likely we won't be able to carry much more, but the range will be extended with a full load on board. For comparison, the An-225 carrying 200 tonnes can only fly 4,000 km or 2,159 nautical miles.

There is even a possibility to turn it into a combi version with passengers onboard.

This leads us to the next point - the potential military applications. Such a heavy lift aircraft might actually be highly sought after by military forces around the world, able to carry tanks and other heavy military equipment's where needed.

The big issue with cargo carriers is two-fold. For one, cargo companies don't really care so much about fuel-saving and lowing the cost per kilo, because they are more than happy to simply increase the rate that they charge companies for transport. And they don't really care about being competitive, because where else are you going to go?

The second issue is the availability of other platforms. There are very few jobs that the An-225 can perform that other aircraft cant, and there is a lot of other aircraft.

For example, we have yet to see the next generation of cargo carriers, such as A350, 787s, 777xs, and more converted for cargo operations.

We also need to consider its market potential - or lack thereof.

But when the An-225 finally retires, the world is going to need a new heavy aircraft, and a concept plane like this Proteus HyperTransport will be waiting.

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