This aircraft arrived at the museum on April 15, 2024 from its last duty station at Travis AFB, California.

The KC10A Extender is a US Air Force advanced tanker and cargo aircraft whose primary mission is aerial refueling. Within the same mission, the KC10 can refuel US and coalition forces aircraft using either a hose and drogue centerline refueling system or an advanced aerial refueling boom. KC10s can also be refueled from another KC10A or a KC135.

The aircraft is configured to simultaneously carry military cargo and personnel. Since 1981, the KC10 has been an important part of air fueling in times of war and peace, improving global mobility for US armed forces.

The KC10A on display, serial number 840191, was instrumental in 1986 during Operation El Dorado Canyon, serving as the “mother ship” for USAF F111s whose target was the command center for a Libyan terrorist network in Tripoli. For the first time since WWII, US aircraft took off from Royal Air Force bases in the United Kingdom for a bombing mission. The KC10’s large fuel capacity allowed the strike force aircraft to refuel eight times during the mission. The raid proved the US’s capabilities for longrange precision strikes.