Why does the 737 not have a RAT?

Many modern aircraft contain RAT. On the other hand, Boeing 737 type aircraft do not have RAT system. They are designed in a manner that pilots can manage manually in case all electrical power sources on the aircraft are exhausted.



The Boeing 737 does not have a Ram Air Turbine (RAT)—the "propeller" that drops from most modern jets to provide emergency power—because of its legacy design and unique flight control architecture. Most fly-by-wire aircraft (like the A320 or 787) require a RAT to maintain electrical power for computers if both engines fail. However, the 737 was originally designed in the 1960s with a manual reversion system, meaning that if all power and hydraulics are lost, the pilots can still physically move the flight controls using cables and pulleys. Additionally, the 737’s engines are located low to the ground, and its electrical system is designed with multiple redundancies, including the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) which can be started in flight. Instead of a RAT, the 737 uses a high-capacity battery system to power essential flight instruments for a limited time. While modern versions like the 737 MAX have more electronics, Boeing maintained the core architecture to ensure pilot type-rating commonality, proving that "old-school" mechanical backup can be just as reliable as a deployable turbine.

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