First KC-10 Extender retires from Joint Base MDL

U.S. Air Force Col. Scott Wiederholt, 305th Air Mobility Wing commander, speaks to guests at a July 13 ceremony at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., which marked the first retirement of 59 Extenders intended for eventual replacement by the KC-46A Pegasus. As the first of three KC-10s from the Air Force’s Backup-Aircraft Inventory congressionally approved for retirement during Fiscal Year 2020, Extender #86-0036, was flown to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., where it will continue to support the remaining Extenders with parts as they are flown for several years while the KC-46A Pegasus is integrated into Air Mobility Command’s Total Force tanker enterprise. For nearly four decades, KC-10s have helped secure global reach for America, providing in-flight refueling to U.S. and coalition aircraft, from Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm to Operation Inherent Resolve. The KC-10 is flown from JBMDL by both the 305th AMW and its associate Air Force Reserve unit, the 514th AMW.