3 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. RCAF CC-150 Polaris Davies: John Davies· GFDL 1.2
- 2. Airbus CC-150 Polaris at Boryspil: Artem Batuzak· GFDL
- 3. CC-150 Polaris tanker refueling two CF-18 Hornets: Robert Taylor· CC BY 2.0
what is it?
The Airbus CC-150 Polaris is the designation for the civilian Airbus A310-300s which have been converted into multi-purpose, long-range jet aircraft for passenger, freight or medical transport and mid-air refueling for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).
How to recognise it: 2 jet engines · 43.9 m wingspan
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- Wingspan of 43.9 m: about 10 cars parked nose to tail.
- Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 26 African elephants (~6 t each).
- Range of 9,600 km: Amsterdam to New York (≈5,850 km) without stopping.
- Can fly 1.4× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).
jet: Gas turbine pushing air out the back (turbofan or turbojet): fast and high-flying.
spec sheet
- first flight
- —
- introduced
- 1992
- retired
- 2023
- status
- still flying
- number built
- 5
- role
- strategic transport/vip transport/tanker
- makers
- Airbus Commercial Aircraft
- engines
- 2× General Electric CF6-80C2A2
- crew
- 2
- passengers
- 194
- length
- 46.7 m
- wingspan
- 43.9 m
- height
- 15.8 m
- max take-off weight
- 157 t
- top speed
- —
- range
- 9,600 km
- ceiling
- 12,500 m
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q6491, Wikipedia: Airbus CC-150 Polaris (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.