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10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. KDC-10 Extender of the RNLAF: Ministerie van Defensie / Dutch Ministry of Defence· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2. AN air-to-air left side view of a KC-10 Extender aircraft refueling a C-5 Galaxy aircraft - DPLA - ddb9e73e4eb4f688c466e70c9a31f1da: Department of Defense. American Forces Information Service. Defense Visual Information Center. 1994· Public domain
- 3. A KC-10A Extender aircraft refueling boom operator of the 9th Air Refueling Squadron refuels an F-4 Phantom II aircraft during Theater Force Employment Exercise IV DF-ST-86-04188: Staff Sgt. Schading· Public domain
- 4. KC-10 Extender (2151957820): U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jerry Morrison· Public domain
- 5. McDonnell-Douglas KC-10 Extender prepares to be refuelled by another KC-10, Exercise Talisman Saber 2017: 2nd Lt. Sarah Johnson, Travis AFB· Public domain
- 6. USAF KC-10 Extender takeoff at RAF Mildenhall: U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Meghan Geis· Public domain
- 7. US Navy 021107-N-2794R-002 KC-10 'Extender' refuels a F-A-18C 'Hornet': U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Cmdr. Charles Radosta.· Public domain
- 8. 380thairexpeditionarygroup-kc10: 2009· Public domain
- 9. A KC-10 Extender in flight: U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Aaron Allmon· Public domain
- 10. A U.S. Air Force KC-10 Extender aircraft is loaded with relief supplies at Langley Air Force Base: U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Keith Brown· Public domain
what is it?
The McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender is an American trijet aerial refueling and cargo aircraft developed from the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 airliner for the United States Air Force's Advanced Tanker Cargo Aircraft Program. It incorporates military-specific equipment for its primary roles of aerial refueling and transport. It was developed to supplement the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker following experiences in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
How to recognise it: 3 jet engines · 50.4 m wingspan
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 46 years ago, in 1980.
- Top speed is 6.7× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Wingspan of 50.4 m: about 11 cars parked nose to tail.
- Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 45 African elephants (~6 t each).
- Range of 7,080 km: Amsterdam to New York (≈5,850 km) without stopping.
- Can fly 1.4× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).
jet: Gas turbine pushing air out the back (turbofan or turbojet): fast and high-flying.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1980
- introduced
- 1981
- retired
- 2021
- status
- still flying
- number built
- 60
- role
- tanker/transport
- origin
- 🇺🇸 United States
- makers
- McDonnell Douglas
- engines
- 3× General Electric F103 (GE CF6-50C2)
- crew
- 4
- passengers
- 75
- length
- 55.4 m
- wingspan
- 50.4 m
- height
- 17.7 m
- max take-off weight
- 267.6 t
- top speed
- 866 km/h
- range
- 7,080 km
- ceiling
- 12,802 m
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q585162, Wikipedia: McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.