{"id":26303532,"date":"2026-10-03T11:33:52","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T09:33:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/ram-air-turbine-rat-explained-emergency-power-aircraft\/"},"modified":"2026-10-03T11:34:21","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T09:34:21","slug":"ram-air-turbine-rat-explained-emergency-power-aircraft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/es\/ram-air-turbine-rat-explained-emergency-power-aircraft\/","title":{"rendered":"Ram Air Turbine Explained: The Emergency Propeller on Your Jet"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\n\n<style>\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid 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It sits folded inside the fuselage or a wing fairing, and it only comes out on the worst day of a crew's career: when every engine-driven generator and the auxiliary power unit have stopped.<\/p>\n<p>It is called a ram air turbine, or RAT. It is a small wind turbine that swings out into the airflow and spins, driven by nothing more than the aircraft's own speed, to power a hydraulic pump or an electrical generator. With it, a crew keeps the flight controls and the instruments they need to land.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"background:#f4f6f9;border:1px solid #e2e7ee;padding:18px 22px;margin:22px 0 26px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:700;color:#0d1117\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:18px\"><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>What it is:<\/strong> A small wind turbine driving a hydraulic pump or electrical generator<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>When it is used:<\/strong> On modern aircraft, mainly in emergencies after loss of all primary and auxiliary power<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Deployment:<\/strong> Manually or automatically; batteries bridge the gap until it spins up<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Typical output:<\/strong> About 5 to 70 kW on large airliners; small models as little as 400 W<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Largest:<\/strong> Airbus A380, about 1.63 m in diameter<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Military examples:<\/strong> F-102 Delta Dagger, F-104 Starfighter, Me 163 Komet; also used in EA-18G jamming pods<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">How a RAT works<\/h2>\n<p>A RAT is essentially a windmill run backwards. In normal flight it is stowed in a bay. When the aircraft loses its main power sources, it is deployed, either by the crew or automatically, and the airflow from the aircraft's forward speed spins its blades.<\/p>\n<p>That rotation drives a hydraulic pump, an electrical generator, or both. The power is limited, so it is reserved for what matters most: flight controls, the hydraulics linked to them and flight-critical instruments. In the seconds between the power failure and the RAT spinning up, batteries keep things alive.<\/p>\n<p>There is a catch built into the physics. Because the RAT is powered by airspeed, it produces less as the aircraft slows down, which is exactly when the crew is trying to land. That is why RATs are carefully sized for the lowest speed at which the aircraft must still be controllable.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/convair-f-102a-delta-dagger-ram-air-turbine.jpg\" alt=\"Ram air turbine under the wing of a Convair F-102A Delta Dagger\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">The ram air turbine (circled) under the wing of a Convair F-102A Delta Dagger on display at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Photo: Thornfield Hall \/ CC BY-SA 4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">A very old idea<\/h2>\n<p>Small permanently mounted air turbines are among the oldest power sources in aviation. The Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet rocket fighter of WWII used a small nose-mounted turbine as its only source of electrical power, and Cold War fighters such as the Convair F-102 Delta Dagger and the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/f-104-starfighter\/\">F-104 Starfighter<\/a> carried RATs for emergencies.<\/p>\n<p>Not every fighter uses one. The <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/f-16-fighting-falcon\/\">F-16<\/a>, for instance, relies on an emergency power unit fuelled by hydrazine instead. Some military systems use RATs in normal operation: the AN\/ALQ-99 jamming pods carried by the EA-18G Growler are powered by their own nose turbines, so they can hang on a standard pylon without a dedicated power supply.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/c9yz6Gd216o\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">From the VC10 to the A380<\/h2>\n<p>Many airliners from the Vickers VC10 of the 1960s onwards have carried a RAT. The largest in the world is fitted to the Airbus A380, at about 1.63 metres across, while around 80 centimetres is more typical. Depending on the generator, a large airliner RAT can produce roughly 5 to 70 kW.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/concorde-ram-air-turbine-deployed-brooklands.jpg\" alt=\"Ram air turbine deployed from the underside of Concorde\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">The ram air turbine of Concorde, deployed from its bay, on the aircraft preserved at Brooklands Museum. Photo: jabberwock \/ CC BY-SA 2.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<p>RATs are checked on the ground and exercised during flight testing. The Emirates A380 in the video below landed at the Airbus plant at Hamburg Finkenwerder with its RAT spinning.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2BAqp7oh6Wg\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">When the RAT saved the day<\/h2>\n<p>The list of incidents in which a RAT was deployed reads like a history of aviation's most famous emergencies. It includes the 1983 Gimli Glider, when an Air Canada 767 ran out of fuel, the 2001 Air Transat Flight 236 that glided to the Azores after losing both engines, and the 2009 landing of US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River.<\/p>\n<p>In each case, the turbine did not save the aircraft on its own. It gave a highly skilled crew the hydraulic or electrical power they needed to keep flying the aeroplane while they solved the problem. That is all a RAT is designed to do, and on those days it was enough.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/I--B4MlwEk8\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n<p><em>Sources: Wikipedia (Ram air turbine), MiGFlug<\/em><\/p>\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\n\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\n\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\n\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\n\n\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>What is a ram air turbine on an aircraft?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">A ram air turbine (RAT) is a small wind turbine fitted to many aircraft that deploys into the airflow and spins from the aircraft's speed, driving a hydraulic pump or electrical generator. It provides emergency power for flight controls and vital instruments when the engines and auxiliary power unit are no longer supplying power.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>When does the ram air turbine deploy?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">On modern aircraft, the RAT is normally used only in emergencies, after loss of both primary and auxiliary power. It can deploy automatically or be deployed by the crew, and batteries keep essential systems running until it spins up.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How much power does a ram air turbine produce?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">According to Wikipedia, a typical large RAT on a commercial aircraft produces about 5 to 70 kW, depending on the generator. Smaller, low-airspeed models may produce as little as 400 watts.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Which aircraft has the largest ram air turbine?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Airbus A380 has the largest RAT in the world, about 1.63 metres in diameter. Around 80 centimetres is more common on other airliners.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Do fighter jets have ram air turbines?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Many have. The Convair F-102 Delta Dagger and the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter carried RATs, and the WWII Me 163 Komet used a nose turbine as its only electrical power source. The F-16 uses a hydrazine-fuelled emergency power unit instead.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Was the ram air turbine used in the Gimli Glider and the Hudson landing?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Yes. The RAT was deployed on Air Canada Flight 143, the Gimli Glider, in 1983, on Air Transat Flight 236 in 2001 and on US Airways Flight 1549, which landed on the Hudson River in 2009.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Can I fly in an F-104 Starfighter?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Yes. MiGFlug offers a supersonic <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/flights-prices\/f104-starfighter-flight\/\">F-104 Starfighter flight<\/a> in Florida, USA, near NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The two-day programme costs $35,000 and includes a supersonic training flight of 35 to 50 minutes.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What is a ram air turbine on an aircraft?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"A ram air turbine (RAT) is a small wind turbine fitted to many aircraft that deploys into the airflow and spins from the aircraft's speed, driving a hydraulic pump or electrical generator. 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The two-day programme costs $35,000 and includes a supersonic training flight of 35 to 50 minutes.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/airplane-oxygen-masks-chemical-generator-how-long-they-last\/\">Airplane Oxygen Masks: How Long They Last and Why They Get Hot<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/remove-before-flight-red-tags-aircraft-pitot-gear-pins-explained\/\">Remove Before Flight: What the Red Tags on Aircraft Really Do<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/drop-tanks-explained-why-fighter-jets-jettison-external-fuel-tanks\/\">Drop Tanks Explained: Why Fighter Jets Throw Away Their Fuel Tanks<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The ram air turbine is a small propeller that drops out of an aircraft when all power is lost. How it works, which jets carry one, and when it saved the day.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":26303487,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[665],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26303532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aviation-world"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Ram Air Turbine (RAT) Explained: Emergency Power | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How a ram air turbine works: the small emergency propeller that powers flight controls when engines fail, from the F-104 to the A380 and the Hudson landing.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/es\/ram-air-turbine-rat-explained-emergency-power-aircraft\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_ES\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ram Air Turbine (RAT) Explained: Emergency Power | MiGFlug\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"How a ram air turbine works: the small emergency propeller that powers flight controls when engines fail, from the F-104 to the A380 and the Hudson landing.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/es\/ram-air-turbine-rat-explained-emergency-power-aircraft\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Afterburner - 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