Fueling the Fight for Global Reach ...The KC-10 and KC-135 Refuelers

  • Published
  • By John M. Lacomia
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing History Office
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  It has been more than 80 years since the Question Mark mission took place Jan. 7, 1929 and became the first complete in-flight refueling between two aircraft. 

The success of the United States Army Air Service was the stepping stone for today's refueling missions that take place every day anywhere in the world. It would be decades before air refueling became common practice between two or more aircraft. Currently, the backbone of the United States Air Force's air refueling is the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker and the McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender. 

The first operational KC-135 was delivered to Castle Air Force Base, Calif. in June 1957 more than 28 years after the Question Mark mission. This plane was based on Boeing's commercial 707 passenger aircraft. There were more than 800 of these planes built between 1954 and 1965. The first refueling aircraft or "A" model was used until the 1980s when it was replaced by the "E" and now the "R" model. With the current KC-135R model, the aircraft can carry 37 passengers, 83,000 pounds of cargo and offload more than 15,000 gallons of fuel. 

The first test for the KC-135 as a force multiplier was in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. With the KC-135 in place, bombing targets and fighter missions were more attainable, since it allowed aircraft more time over their targets. 

Over the years in service, the KC-135 has been modified to do other jobs that have included flying command-post missions and reconnaissance. The Air Force expects to keep the KC-135 flying until 2036, when the aircraft is 80 years old. 

Despite the KC-135's vast abilities, its limitations called for a new refueler to be developed and put into action. 

The KC-10 Extender was first introduced into the Air Force inventory in March 1981 and a total of 60 were built. This aircraft was a modified DC-10 that would be built exclusively for the Air Force. The capabilities of the KC-10 include the transportation of up to 75 people, almost 170,000 pounds of cargo and can fly a distance of more than 4,000 miles without refueling. One important aspect that makes the KC-10 more versatile is its ability to be refueled inflight and its capacity to offload more than 36,000 gallons of fuel. 

In 1986, the United States conducted airstrikes against Libya, during Operation El Dorado Canyon. During this operation, the U.S. was denied the ability to base or overfly certain countries in Europe. This limited the use of the KC-135, which was designed for a tactical in-theatre role. The KC-10 did not have this limitation and greatly extended the range that both Air Force fighters and refuelers could fly to reach their targets. 

From the proving ground of El Dorado Canyon, the KC-10 alongside the KC-135 have continued to play a major role in U.S. operations ranging from Operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm and Allied Force. They now both serve in Operations Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. 

Currently, the KC-10 is flown only at McGuire Air Force Bases, N.J. and Travis AFB, Calif. The aircraft are flown by the 305th and 60th Air Mobility Wings and their Reserve units, the 514th and 349th AMWs. 

Both aircraft, when incorporated into the Air Force inventory, were assigned to the Strategic Air Command until 1992, when all refuelers were assigned to the newly-formed Air Mobility Command. 

Whether the plane is assigned to the active duty, Reserve or Air National Guard, one thing is certain; their contributions to global reach and global powers are unmatched.