KC-10 marks 20 years of deployment, nearly 30 years of operations

USAF News via Defense Talk ^ | 1/24/2011 | USAF News via Defense Talk

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

Jan. 17th was a special day for the KC-10 Extender community. It marked the day KC-10s, aircrews and maintainers have been on continuous deployment for 20 years -- 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year -- to Southwest Asia in support of combat operations.

Facts show the KC-10 will pass a second milestone in March: 30 years of operational service. The KC-10 first entered the Air Force inventory in 1981 and was assigned to Strategic Air Command, or SAC. It remained a SAC asset until 1992 when it was reassigned to the then newly created Air Mobility Command. Today, KC-10s are based solely at Travis AFB and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.

[lentulusgracchus]

Lakehurst is where the Hindenburg bought it.

Wonder what they're going to select to replace the KC-10? I understood Airbus/EADS had wormed their way into the competition, French subsidies and all.

[gura]

They also brought a better plane to the table that’s just as American as the competitor from Boeing.

[Yo-Yo]

Technically, the KC-X is to replace the first batch of KC-135s, KC-Y is to replace the second batch of KC-135s, and KC-Z is to replace the KC-10.

KC-Z will be for an aircraft larger than the A330-200. Yes, the wingspan is almost identical between the KC-10 and KC-45A, but total fuel carried isn't even close.

Most likely the KC-Z will be between an A330-300 and the Boeing 777-200.