{ "archive_path": "archive/1792577013.899376", "base_url": "www.twz.com/air/retired-kc-10-extender-tanker-has-risen-from-boneyard-to-fly-again", "basename": "retired-kc-10-extender-tanker-has-risen-from-boneyard-to-fly-again", "bookmarked_date": "2026-10-21 10:03", "canonical": { "archive_org_path": "https://web.archive.org/web/www.twz.com/air/retired-kc-10-extender-tanker-has-risen-from-boneyard-to-fly-again", "dom_path": "output.html", "favicon_path": "favicon.ico", "git_path": "git/", "google_favicon_path": "https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=www.twz.com", "headers_path": "headers.json", "htmltotext_path": "htmltotext.txt", "index_path": "index.html", "media_path": "media/", "mercury_path": "mercury/content.html", "pdf_path": "output.pdf", "readability_path": "readability/content.html", "screenshot_path": "screenshot.png", "singlefile_path": "singlefile.html", "warc_path": "warc/", "wget_path": "www.twz.com/air/retired-kc-10-extender-tanker-has-risen-from-boneyard-to-fly-again.html" }, "domain": "www.twz.com", "extension": "", "hash": "JXRSAWMD4XKXGHE6Y1ZH", "history": { "archive_org": [], "dom": [], "favicon": [ { "cmd": [ "curl", "--silent", "--location", "--compressed", "--max-time", "120", "--output", "favicon.ico", "--user-agent", "Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_15_7) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/118.0.0.0 Safari/537.36 ArchiveBox/0.7.4 (+https://github.com/ArchiveBox/ArchiveBox/) curl/curl 8.14.1 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)", "https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=www.twz.com" ], "cmd_version": "curl 8.14.1 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)", "end_ts": "2026-10-21T10:21:16.691681+00:00", "index_texts": null, "output": "favicon.ico", "pwd": "/data/archive/1792577013.899376", "schema": "ArchiveResult", "start_ts": "2026-10-21T10:21:16.058370+00:00", "status": "succeeded" } ], "git": [], "headers": [ { "cmd": [ "curl", "--silent", "--location", "--compressed", "--head", "--max-time", "120", "--user-agent", "Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_15_7) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/118.0.0.0 Safari/537.36 ArchiveBox/0.7.4 (+https://github.com/ArchiveBox/ArchiveBox/) curl/curl 8.14.1 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)", "https://www.twz.com/air/retired-kc-10-extender-tanker-has-risen-from-boneyard-to-fly-again" ], "cmd_version": "curl 8.14.1 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)", "end_ts": "2026-10-21T10:21:17.075194+00:00", "index_texts": null, "output": "headers.json", "pwd": "/data/archive/1792577013.899376", "schema": "ArchiveResult", "start_ts": "2026-10-21T10:21:16.699319+00:00", "status": "succeeded" } ], "htmltotext": [], "media": [], "mercury": [ { "cmd": [ "/app/node_modules/@postlight/parser/cli.js", "https://www.twz.com/air/retired-kc-10-extender-tanker-has-risen-from-boneyard-to-fly-again" ], "cmd_version": "1.0.0", "end_ts": "2026-10-21T10:21:41.979826+00:00", "index_texts": null, "output": "mercury", "pwd": "/data/archive/1792577013.899376", "schema": "ArchiveResult", "start_ts": "2026-10-21T10:21:39.453875+00:00", "status": "succeeded" } ], "pdf": [], "readability": [ { "cmd": [ "/app/node_modules/readability-extractor/readability-extractor", "/tmp/tmpjqalpbsp", "https://www.twz.com/air/retired-kc-10-extender-tanker-has-risen-from-boneyard-to-fly-again" ], "cmd_version": "0.0.11", "end_ts": "2026-10-21T10:21:39.442579+00:00", "index_texts": [ "One of the KC-10A Extender aerial refueling tankers the U.S. Air Force retired some two years ago has left the boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona. This aircraft is one of a set of KC-10As sold to private aerial refueling contractor Omega Air. At least one other potential operator, a still mysterious end user somewhere in North Africa, could also be in line to pick up several ex-Air Force Extenders.\n\n\n\nMaxim Loshak, who goes by the handle @az_aviator on X and Instagram, caught the KC-10A leaving Davis-Monthan earlier today. The aircraft currently carries U.S. civil registration number N82247, and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records confirm that Omega Air is the new owner. Online flight tracking data also shows the aircraft subsequently flew to San Antonio International Airport, which is Omega\u2019s main base of operations.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe KC-10A in question previously carried the Air Force registration number 86-0034 and had been in the boneyard since May 12, 2023, per the service\u2019s records. The Air Force acquired a total of 60 Extender tankers between 1979 and 1987, and lost one in an accident in 1987. The very last of the remaining 59 KC-10As was retired in September 2024. The Extender was derived from the three-engine DC-10 airliner and was designed to refuel aircraft using either the boom or the probe-and-drogue method.\n\n\n\nAs seen in the picture at the top of this story, N82247 notably lacks the KC-10A\u2019s trademark boom under the rear fuselage. This is actually not entirely unexpected. The Air Force had put 10 Extenders up for auction last year in a non-flyable state. Each of the planes was missing a single engine, taken from under one of their wings, for reasons that are still not entirely clear. These particular aircraft were also among the first KC-10As to be retired, and their booms had been stripped to be used as spares for other examples that had remained in service until the type\u2019s final retirement in 2024.\n\n\n\nA stock picture of a KC-10A Extender showing the standard configuration while in US Air Force service, with the boom under the tail. USAF/Kenneth Abbate \n\n\n\nA KC-10 seen refueling a US Navy F/A-18 Hornet via the probe-and-drogue method. USN \n\n\n\nIn addition to sourcing the requisite engines, \u201cin order to make them flyable, the winning bidder will need to work with Boeing to obtain a fly-away kit to seal up the area where the boom systems was,\u201d an Air Force spokesperson told us last year while the 10 KC-10As were still up for auction.\n\n\n\nOmega Air could fit new booms to this KC-10A, as well as other ex-USAF Extenders it is in the process of acquiring. The company could also leave some of them configured as probe-and-drogue-only tankers. Omega already flies two ex-Dutch KDC-10 tankers, which are broadly similar to the KC-10, as well as another DC-10 converted into a probe-and-drogue-only tanker. The company has several Boeing 707-based tankers, as well.\n\n\n\nOne of Omega Air\u2019s KDC-10s refuels US Air Force F-16s. USAF \n\n\n\nThere is a possibility that some of the KC-10As that Omega is acquiring could be operated in non-tanker roles. Carrying cargo was also a major role for Extender while in Air Force service. Still, this seems unlikely given that aerial refueling is Omega\u2019s primary business. Some of the ex-Air Force Extenders might also be used as sources of spare parts. TWZ has reached out for more information about Omega\u2019s overall plans for its new acquisitions. \n\n\n\nRegardless, even in a boomless configuration, ex-USAF KC-10As will be a significant addition to Omega Air\u2019s fleet. Demand for private aerial refueling services, in general, has been ramping up in the United States and elsewhere globally in recent years. \n\n\n\nFor the U.S. military, private contractors offer a valuable way to reduce demand for and strain on organic tanker fleets to meet non-combat-related aerial refueling needs. This, in turn, helps free up government-owned tankers for combat missions and other higher-priority taskings. Those tankers may also simply not need to fly as much with private companies helping to shift the burden. The ability of the Air Force\u2019s existing tanker fleets, in particular, to meet even peacetime demands has been a growing point of concern for years now. This has been further exacerbated by persistent technical and other issues with replacement KC-46 tankers.\n\n\n\nA KC-10 prepares to link up with a KC-46 during a test. A KC-135 tanker flies in the background. USAF \n\n\n\nWith all this in mind, the Air Force\u2019s decision to retire the KC-10A fleet entirely was and still is controversial. Though the Extenders were certainly aging, they were also highly flexible tankers able to carry greater loads of fuel than the KC-46s that supplanted them.\n\n\n\nOmega Air clearly still sees value in the KC-10A. As mentioned, at least one other operator in North Africa is at least interested in potentially acquiring Extenders. Others may yet emerge.\n\n\n\nIf nothing else, after just over two years, an ex-USAF KC-10A has returned to the skies for a second career in the private sector. \n\n\n\nSpecial thanks again to Maxim Loshak for sharing his picture of N82247 with us.\n\n\n\nContact the author: joe@twz.com" ], "output": "readability", "pwd": "/data/archive/1792577013.899376", "schema": "ArchiveResult", "start_ts": "2026-10-21T10:21:37.241927+00:00", "status": "succeeded" } ], "screenshot": [], "singlefile": [], "title": [ { "cmd": [ "curl", "--silent", "--location", "--compressed", "--max-time", "120", "--user-agent", "Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_15_7) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/118.0.0.0 Safari/537.36 ArchiveBox/0.7.4 (+https://github.com/ArchiveBox/ArchiveBox/) curl/curl 8.14.1 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)", "https://www.twz.com/air/retired-kc-10-extender-tanker-has-risen-from-boneyard-to-fly-again" ], "cmd_version": "curl 8.14.1 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)", "end_ts": "2026-10-21T10:21:37.235258+00:00", "index_texts": null, "output": "Retired KC-10 Extender Tanker Has Risen From Boneyard To Fly Again", "pwd": "/data/archive/1792577013.899376", "schema": "ArchiveResult", "start_ts": "2026-10-21T10:21:37.179097+00:00", "status": "succeeded" } ], "wget": [ { "cmd": [ "wget", "--no-verbose", "--adjust-extension", "--convert-links", "--force-directories", "--span-hosts", "--no-parent", "-e", "robots=off", "--reject=js,mjs,woff,woff2,ttf,otf,eot,mp4,m4v,mov,webm,ogv,mkv,avi,flv", "--timeout=120", "--restrict-file-names=windows", "--page-requisites", "--user-agent=Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_15_7) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/118.0.0.0 Safari/537.36 ArchiveBox/0.7.4 (+https://github.com/ArchiveBox/ArchiveBox/) wget/GNU Wget 1.21.3", "--compression=auto", "--timestamping", "https://www.twz.com/air/retired-kc-10-extender-tanker-has-risen-from-boneyard-to-fly-again" ], "cmd_version": "GNU Wget 1.21.3", "end_ts": "2026-10-21T10:21:37.172710+00:00", "index_texts": null, "output": "www.twz.com/air/retired-kc-10-extender-tanker-has-risen-from-boneyard-to-fly-again.html", "pwd": "/data/archive/1792577013.899376", "schema": "ArchiveResult", "start_ts": "2026-10-21T10:21:17.084365+00:00", "status": "succeeded" } ] }, "icons": null, "is_archived": true, "is_static": false, "latest": { "archive_org": null, "dom": null, "favicon": "favicon.ico", "git": null, "media": null, "pdf": null, "screenshot": null, "singlefile": null, "title": "Retired KC-10 Extender Tanker Has Risen From Boneyard To Fly Again", "warc": null, "wget": "www.twz.com/air/retired-kc-10-extender-tanker-has-risen-from-boneyard-to-fly-again.html" }, "link_dir": "/data/archive/1792577013.899376", "newest_archive_date": "2026-10-21T10:21:39.453875+00:00", "num_failures": 0, "num_outputs": 6, "oldest_archive_date": "2026-10-21T10:21:16.058370+00:00", "path": "/air/retired-kc-10-extender-tanker-has-risen-from-boneyard-to-fly-again", "schema": "Link", "scheme": "https", "snapshot_id": "b3a36e2b-74cf-4c56-8873-3872e33654fe", "sources": [ "/data/sources/1792577013-import.txt" ], "tags": ",war-wiki,pool,escalation", "tags_str": "war-wiki,pool,escalation", "timestamp": "1792577013.899376", "title": "Retired KC-10 Extender Tanker Has Risen From Boneyard To Fly Again", "updated": "2026-10-21T10:21:16.057955+00:00", "updated_date": "2026-10-21 10:21", "url": "https://www.twz.com/air/retired-kc-10-extender-tanker-has-risen-from-boneyard-to-fly-again" }