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  • JakobS

Refueling tankers runway requirement

Can anyone tell me a bit more about the runways required for big tankers like the KC-134, KC-46, KC10, A330 MRTT etc..

I just don’t make sense of it. I read that planes like that usually requires 2700 meters (around 9000 feet) in order to start and land. I have also heard much bigger numbers. I get that it has to do with how much the plane is loaded.

I have also read that if the weather gets hot that number goes up even more.

In the US the runways of the Air Force bases are really long, most are over 3500 meters (11500 feet) and some of them over 4000 meter (13000 feet).

In the UK however the longest runway, on the base where the A330 tankers are stationed, is just a little bit over 3000 meters (bit under 10 000 feet). This is also the case for more european countries, there runways are simply not as long as their counterparts in the states.

Well back to my original question, how much runway does a big tanker need, and how much does that change with the load and with the weather?

I hope that makes sense.

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