U.S. Air Force Retires Final KC-10A Extender in Ceremony at Travis AFB, California | Aviation

The final KC-10A flies to the boneyard after a 44-year career while the USAF and lawmakers continue to debate the replacement tanker.

 On September 26, 2024, the U.S. Air Force finished the final chapter in the book on McDonnell Douglas KC-10A operations.

In a two-day event, Travis Air Force Base’s 60th Air Mobility Wing and 349th Air Mobility Wing (Air Force Reserve Command) hosted a ceremony featuring an aircraft tour, commemorative patches and t-shirts, and a speech by keynote speaker General Paul Selva (Ret.), the former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Callsign GUCCI 10, tail number 79-1948, ended the event with a formation departure with two F-15C Eagle fighters of the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing.

On the flight to her new home in the desert, GUCCI 10 was scheduled to make a pass over Long Beach, California (KLGB), the factory where the KC-10 fleet was built. However, it appears that in the end the pass over the factory did not happen.

The KC-10’s story

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