Tuesday, December 02, 2008

KC-10 Extender

IOC: 1981
Total Production: 59
Total Program's Cost: USD$5.2 billion

KC-10A Extender

Unitary Cost: USD$88 million

Also Known As
KDC-10 ARS

Origin
United States of America

Contractor/s
Boeing

Power plant:
F103 (3)

Description: The KC-10A Extender is an advanced tanker and cargo aircraft designed to provide increased global mobility for US Armed Forces. It can transport up to 75 people and nearly 170,000 pounds of cargo a distance of about 4,400 miles unrefueled.

The KC-10 has three large fuel tanks under the cargo floor as well as three main wing fuel tanks. Combined the 6 tanks carry more than 356,000 pounds of fuel, almost twice as much as the KC-135 Stratotanker. It uses an aerial refueling boom, or a hose and drogue centerline refueling system, to refuel a wide variety of military aircraft within the same mission. During refueling operations the fuel is transferred at a maximum rate of 1,100 gallons per minute using the boom, while the hose and drogue can refuel at a maximum rate of 470 gallons per minute. In addition, the KC-10 can be be in-flight refueled by another KC-10 or a KC-135 tanker aircraft to increase its delivery range.

The KC-10 has a crew of 4 people: the pilot, copilot, flight engineer and boom operator.

The KC-10A Extender is a derivative of commercial DC-10 aircraft and was deployed within the US Air Force in 1981. During operation Desert Shield in 1990 and Desert Storm in 1991, this aircraft provided in-flight refueling for US Air Force aircraft making possible the rapid deployment of US military forces to the Persian Gulf theater of operations. During the war the KC-10 and KC-135 tankers delivered about 125 million of gallons in 51,700 separate refueling operations.

Specifications
Accommodation: Crew 4

Dimensions: Height 17.4 m, Length 54.4 m, Wingspan 50 m

Weights: Max Weight 268 t, Payload 77,112 kg (170,000 lb)

Engine/s Performance: Thrust 157,500 lb (71,442 kg)

Performance: Ceiling 12,800 m (41,995 ft), Max Range 7,080 km (3,823 nm), Top Speed 274 mps (Mach 0.83)

Other: Number of Engines 3

News
KC/DC-10 Cockpit Upgrade Program Aircraft Completes First Flight

Boeing Receives KC-10 Logistics Support Contract Extension

Operators

see operators map

Netherlands

United States of America / 59

Image Gallery

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Notes
(*) lead contractor
IOC: Initial Operating Capability
FOC: Full Operating Capability
CEP: Circular Error Probable
Comm: Commissioning Date
Meters (m) Kilometers (km) Nautic Miles (nm) Inch (in) Yard (yd) Foot (ft) Millimeter (mm)
Pound (lb) Kilogram (kg) kN (KiloNewton) Ton (t)
Meters per Second (mps) Kilometers per Hour (kph) Knot (kt) Miles per Hour (mph)
Liter (l) Galon (gl)
Year (yr) Minutes (min) Second (sec)
Shaft-Horse-Power (shp)

Last Updated: Saturday, November 22, 2008

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