First KC-10 Extender retires from Joint Base MDL

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Mike Pillion, an Air Force Reserve pilot from the 514th Air Mobility Wing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., proudly poses in front of KC-10 Extender #86-0036 prior to flying his final or fini-flight following the aircraft’s ceremonious retirement at JBMDL on July 13. The first of three KC-10s from the Air Force’s Backup-Aircraft Inventory congressional approved for retirement during Fiscal Year 2020, Pillion flew #86-0036’s final mission to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., where it will support the remaining 58 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.