Reference
LD-3 Reefer
The usual cold-chain unit for pharmaceuticals. The IATA code, rate class, weights, volume and aircraft fit are below.
- IATA code
- RKN contoured cool container
- Code prefixes
- RVN
- Rate class
- Type 8
- Door size
- 137 x 140 cm (54 x 55 in)
- Aircraft it fits
- 747, 767, 777, 787, DC-10, MD-11 lower hold
- Max gross weight
- 1,588 kg (3,500 lb)
- Empty weight
- 210 kg (463 lb)
- AS1825 volume
- 4.5 m³ (159 ft³)
How the LD-3 Reefer is used
The refrigerated LD-3, built to the RKN code with insulated walls and a solid sealing door. Most examples can be moved by forklift.
This is the unit most temperature-controlled air freight moves in, and the usual choice for pharmaceutical shipments. The cost is weight: empty weight rises from around 82 kg on a dry LD-3 to 210 kg here, against an unchanged 1,588 kg gross rating, so usable payload falls with it.
Cargo it usually takes
How this family is arranged
- A half-width insulated lower-hold unit with one angled end.
- The door is solid and seals the insulated shell.
- Most examples can be moved by forklift.
- Insulated panel walls, usually with a foam core, sit on a standard container base.
- A solid door with a sealing gasket takes the place of the canvas curtain used on dry units.
- Active units carry their own refrigeration, on battery or aircraft power. Passive units hold temperature with stored coolant.
- Temperature is watched throughout. On an active unit the controller shows the setpoint next to the actual temperature.
Why operators pick it
- It holds a temperature band for the whole journey, including the ramp and the wait on the ground, which is where an unprotected cold chain usually fails.
- It uses the same aircraft positions and the same handling gear as the matching dry unit.
- It is the usual choice for pharmaceuticals, vaccines and high-value perishables, where a temperature spike ruins the cargo.
Settle these points before you book
- Insulation and machinery both take inside volume compared with the dry unit.
- Empty weight is much higher, so the paying payload is lower.
- An active unit needs power or a charge on the ground, and pre-cooling before the cargo goes in.