Now in its 40th year of service, the McDonnell Douglas KC-10A has been continuously deployed since January 1991. Like most DC-10 airliners that preceded it, the Extender has entered its twilight years and will soon become part of the USAF’s past, reports Tom Kaminski.
![USAF KC-10A [USAF/Ethan Wagner]](https://fullfatthings-keyaero.b-cdn.net/sites/keyaero/files/inline-images/Lead_KC-10A_17.jpg)
Initially known as the Advanced Tanker and Cargo Aircraft (ATCA), the KC-10A was designed to provide increased global mobility for the US armed forces. Known as the Extender, the platform combines the tasks of a tanker and cargo aircraft through its ability to refuel fighters, along with carrying support personnel and equipment during overseas deployments. As with the smaller Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, it is also capable of transporting litter and ambulatory patients during aeromedical evacuation missions, but air-to-air refuelling remains its primary mission.
The KC-10A is capable of carrying up to 75 personnel and 84 tons (76,560kg) of cargo on 17 88in x 108in (223cm x 274cm) 463L cargo pallets, to ranges of about 4,375 miles (7,040km), without the need to refuel. Its 12…
