KC-10: The Plane’s Legendary Place in History

On Sept. 26, 2024, the 9th Air Refueling Squadron (ARS) at Travis Air Force Base, CA, retired the last of Air Mobility Command’s advanced tanker and cargo aircraft, the KC-10—commemorating its forty-four-year legacy. With more than 140 combat-ready personnel and a plethora of equipment, the 9 ARS mobilized and deployed twelve KC-10s to anywhere on the globe at a moment’s notice by generating strategic airlift and aerial-refueling missions that supported U.S. and allied forces during contingency operations.^[1] In a conversation with U.S. Air Force (USAF) Lt Col Andrew Baer, 9 ARS Commander and KC-10 Extender Pilot, the importance and historical significance of the KC-10 becomes clear.

As retold by Baer, the KC-10 was born in the aftermath of Operation NICKEL GRASS in 1973, an aerial resupply mission in support of Israel, during which the USAF C-5 cargo transports were denied landing rights at key airfields along the route. Under such restrictions, C-5s carried reduced cargo loads and relied on long-range air refueling provided by the venerable KC-135 fleet. Despite operational success, these missions revealed a gap in the USAF’s air refueling capacity. To address this gap and pinpoint a larger aerial tanker aircraft, the Advanced Tanker Cargo Aircraft Program was launched in 1975. The program consisted of the greatest aircraft of the day—the C-5 Galaxy, Boeing 747, Lockheed L-1011, and Douglas DC-10—competing against one another to determine which would become America’s next great tanker. The DC-10 emerged as the ultimate choice and was shortly thereafter ordered as the KC-10 Extender. The aircraft first flew in July 1980, entered service in March 1981, and saw its first combat in Grenada during Operation URGENT FURY in 1983. The aircraft, Baer recalled, “first served under Strategic Air Command and eventually was assigned to Air Mobility Command.”

When asked how its function has helped influence national defense strategies, Baer declared that the KC-10 Extender was a stalwart of the USAF refueling fleet. “Unlike the venerable KC-135 or state-of-the-art KC-46, the KC-10 provided a unique capability—an absolutely staggering quantity of fuel ready for offload. When that unmatched capacity is coupled to the aircraft’s long range, high speed, and sizeable cargo and passenger capacity, the KC-10’s unique influence becomes clear,” he stated. Delving more into the iconic aircraft’s characteristics, Baer said, “The aircraft can escort a group of receiver aircraft, with their maintenance personnel and spare parts, anywhere in the world without a supporting cargo aircraft or additional tankers. Even the vast expanses of the Indo-Pacific were no match for the capability of a fully fueled KC-10.” Simply put, “The KC-10 aircraft had an unmatched capability to put an immense offload of fuel anywhere in the world,” Baer exclaimed.

“This rapid-response, multi-role capability, across any range or duration, made the KC-10 legendary for its versatility and opened new options for the United States over its [more than] forty years of service,” Baer continued.

The KC-10 served meritoriously in the Indo-Pacific and with honor and distinction across the Atlantic, Europe, and Southwest Asia. ”No matter where these aircraft flew, their unique tri-jet profile and American flag emblazoned on its tail-flash served a symbol of hope … In October of 2023, the last KC-10s returned from contingency operations in Southwest Asia. This return ended a thirty-three-year legacy of combat KC-10s—a momentous occasion.”

The KC-10’s legacy includes being present in nearly every major conflict and operation the USAF has executed since its first flight and entry into operational service. Following the aircraft’s debut in Operation URGENT FURY (Grenada), the KC-10 appeared in Operations ELDORADO CANYON (Libya), JUST CAUSE (Panama), ALLIED FORCE (Yugoslavia), and others in the Middle East, such as Operation SOUTHERN WATCH, NORTHERN WATCH, DESERT SHIELD, DESERT STORM, ENDURING FREEDOM, IRAQI FREEDOM, NEW DAWN, INHERENT RESOLVE, and ALLIES REFUGE, “just to name a few.” Baer asserted. “Essentially, anytime the USAF wanted to project power, you could count on a KC-10 to fuel to fight.” For forty-plus years, Baer said that the KC-10 has been “making the impossible seem effortless and demonstrating the unmatched global reach of the USAF.”

Baer contends that the KC-10’s main attribute is not the amount of equipment it can carry or the lineage of its airframe, “It’s the people—the community of professional aircrew and support personnel who made this jet fly.” Baer feels that 9 ARS, as the last active duty KC-10 squadron in the world, set the “Gucci standard every single day and I like to think we did our predecessors proud when we safely landed the KC-10 on its final trip in September 2024.”

Baer highlighted that the KC-10 is among those few USAF fleets to have never suffered a total loss in flight—although, in 1987, KC-10 aircraft 82-0190 burnt down in a ground accident at Barksdale AFB, reducing the fleet from sixty to fifty-nine tails. Today, all remaining fifty-nine aircraft are safely retired in museums or in the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group.

“We will all miss the jet’s speed, capability, and dependability. There is just something magical about firing up those three giant General Electric engines, rolling out those huge flaps and slats, and taking flight in some of the world’s last DC-10 variants. But what I think we’ll all miss most is the community of professional aircrew and support personnel who made this jet fly,” Baer stated. “As we look back on and appreciate the legendary history of the KC-10, I look forward to creating the same sense of community and tradition as the 9 ARS continues conversion to our new aircraft in the KC-46.” Baer and his squadron look forward to continuing to serve proudly in the USAF, flying America’s next great tanker.

^[1] Travis Air Force Base. “9th Air Refueling Squadron.” Travis Air Force Base Fact Sheets. https://www.travis.af.mil/Units/Fact-Sheets/Article/150645/9th-air-refueling-squadron/.