Summary

  • Retirement of the KC-10A Extender aerial refueling platform is part of the US Air Force’s fleet restructuring.
  • Some KC-10As are being put on museum duty to preserve aviation history and honor their legacy.
  • The transition to more efficient aircraft like the KC-45A Pegasus marks the end of an era for the KC-10A platform.

Among other US Air Force platforms facing retirement is the McDonnell Douglas KC-10A Extender aerial refueling platform. On June 6, Travis Air Force Base in California had the 349th Air Mobility Wing, 79th Air Refueling Squadron retire 83-0078 and place the KC-10A in the care of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona’s 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group – also known as “The Boneyard”.

Time to retire “Outlaw”

According to Planespotters.net, 83-0078—also known as “Outlaw” to her crews—was 389 on the McDonnell Douglas line in Long Beach, California. The 40.7-year-old KC-10A was delivered to the US Air Force in December 1983 and provided both aerial refueling and transport capabilities.

Related

42 Years Of Flight: The McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender’s History

A look at one of the United States Air Force’s key assets.

However, as a trijet, the KC-10A is not as efficient as a twin-engine aircraft like the Boeing KC-45A Pegasus. According to an October 6, 2023, US Air Force statement, the KC-10s have already flown their last combat mission.

As U.S. Air Force Maj. Joseph Rush, 908th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron (EARS) Commander, shared in the Air Force statement,

“The KC-10 has been the anchor of air refueling in the [Area of Responsibility] AOR since [1991’s Operation] DESERT STORM. … The ability to refuel another aircraft in the air allows for that aircraft to stay airborne longer and extend its capabilities across vast distances. For a fighter, aerial refueling can take a 2-hour unrefueled flight time and turn it into an 8-hour combat mission. That translates to uninterrupted Close Air Support coverage for coalition troops on the ground or Defensive Counter Air coverage to high-value airborne assets in a combat zone.”

Rush also pledged to take the best parts of the KC-10 culture over to the KC-45A. Some of that culture was on display during 83-0079’s retirement.

Keeping history alive

One of those parts of KC-10A culture called out in the US Air Force retirement statement of June 18 was the U.S Air Force Dedicated Crew Chief Program. As 83-0078’s dedicated crew chief, Master Sgt. Kenneth Jarvis shared after 16 years of Air Force service being selected,

“The KC-10 has been really good to me. When the DCC program started assigning jets, I felt a sense of ownership and competition to try and make my aircraft look better than the other guy’s aircraft.”

Also, a point of pride of Master Sgt. Jarvis was 83-0079, winning the 2023 Australian International Airshow’s “Best Tanker of the Year” award. Especially considering the Royal Australian Air Force has her own aerial refueling tankers in the KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport. Below is Master Sgt. Jarvis with his aircraft and signing the nose gear door after turning the KC-10A into the “boneyard”:

To one of the boom operators, Master Sgt. Arriel Bromley, who will move forward to the KC-45A;

“Flying on the KC-10 aircraft for the last time is a little emotional for me. I’ve spent 16 years and roughly 3,800 hours on this aircraft.”

Thanks to the magic of the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service or DVIDS, you can see Master Sgt. Bromley at work:

One can also see thanks to KOMASpotter on Twitter some snaps of 83-0078’s last days at work:

The US Air Force Reserve also produced a final crew photo:

240607-F-F3651-1005 - AMRG Flight to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base

Photo: US Air Force Reserve

Finally, thanks to MeNMyRC1 on X/Twitter, the retirement flight was tracked:

KC-10As being placed on museum duty

However, some KC-10As are instead of going to the Boneyard being put on museum duty. For instance, the first of 60 KC-10A Extenders was donated to the Air Mobility Command (AMC) Museum at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, on April 26, 2022. Another in 84-0185 is going to the March Field Air Museum in California, with a photo from its journey serving as this story’s cover photo. Finally, the National Museum of the United States Air Force just had Travis Air Force Base deliver 84-0191 to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to put in the National Museum of the United States Air Force’s airpark.

8360243 - KC-10 Travis to Wright-Patt [Image 7 of 9]
Photo:  Daniel Peterson | 349th Air Mobility Wing | US Air Force

84-0191 was chosen as the particular Extender refueled F-111s attacking Libyan terrorists in 1986. 84-0191 will now sit outside as a tribute to strategic airlift.

Bottom line

As the US Air Force winds down its KC-10A fleet to what is currently the last six, much aviation history is being archived and learned from. 83-0078 may sit in “The Boneyard” but 83-0078’s legacy will live on at Travis Air Force Base in the next generation of aerial refuelers.

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