USAF farewell to the KC-10 Extender
During the KC-10 farewell ceremony at Travis Air Force Base, California, on September 26, 2024, the last US Air Force (USAF) KC-10 Extender and two F-15 Eagles assigned to Fresno Air National Guard Base, California, flew in formation.
KC-10 serial number 79-1948 (call sign “Gucci10”) was the last of the 60th Air Mobility Wing and associated 349th Air Mobility Wing KC-10A, according to Scramble. On its way to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, or Boneyard, near Tucson, Arizona, it passed the Travis tarmac.
The 60th Air Mobility Wing (AMW) is the last host wing for the KC-10. Team Travis will be able to start a new era of air-to-air refueling when the KC-10 completes its mission and is replaced by the KC-46A Pegasus.
“As a KC-10 flyer myself, it has been amazing to watch the global impact this aircraft has had.” Said Col. Jay Johnson, 60th AMW commander, in a USAF News release. “As we take the time to appreciate the legacy and history of the KC-10, we also have an opportunity to look forward to the future of tanker operations. I am excited to watch the same sense of pride and community build as we transition to the next generation of tanker operations.”
Travis AFB had the honor of bidding farewell to an aircraft that has been an essential part of the US military’s global reach and power projection capabilities as the final base to operate the KC-10. This event closed a significant chapter in the history of military aviation.
A modified DC-10
In 1981, the KC-10A, a modified DC-10, entered service. It has more systems and equipment required for its Air Force duty, even though it still shares 88% of its systems with the DC-10. Military avionics, an aerial refueling boom, hose, and drogue, a seated aerial refueling operator station, an aerial refueling receptacle, and satellite communications are some of these improvements.
To further improve their aerial refueling capabilities, twenty KC-10s were upgraded to include wing-mounted pods. In order to satisfy civil air traffic control requirements, communications, navigation, and surveillance equipment were included and service bulletins were incorporated to preserve Federal Aviation Administration certification.
Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm
The KC-10A was operated by the 305th Air Mobility Wing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., and the 60th Air Mobility Wing, Travis Air Force Base, Calif. Air Force Reserve Associate units were assigned to the 349th Air Mobility Wing at Travis and the 514th Air Mobility Wing at JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.
During operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in 1991, the KC-10 fleet provided in-flight refueling to aircraft from the US armed forces as well as those of other coalition forces. In the early phases of Operation Desert Shield, in-flight refueling was key to the rapid airlift of materiel and forces. Along with refueling airlift aircraft, the KC-10 and smaller KC-135 transported thousands of troops and hundreds of tons of cargo to support the massive buildup in the Persian Gulf. The KC-10 and KC-135 supplied 125 million gallons (475 million liters) of fuel and performed approximately 51,700 separate refueling operations without missing any scheduled rendezvous
The role played by USAF KC-10 Extender tankers after 9/11
In March 1999, a NATO air campaign, Operation Allied Force, was launched against the government of Yugoslavia. The mobility portion of the operation began in February and was heavily tanker-dependent. By early May 1999, some 150 KC-10s and KC-135s deployed to Europe where they refueled bombers, fighters and support aircraft engaged in the conflict. Throughout the Allied Forces campaign and ongoing support operations in Kosovo, the KC-10 flew 409 flights.
Since September 11, 2001, KC-10s have been a major player. Over 350 missions have been flown by the KC-10 to protect American skies as part of Operation Noble Eagle. KC-10s flew over 1,390 missions, providing critical air refueling support to many joint and coalition receiver aircraft during operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
Photo by Kenneth Abbate / U.S. Air Force