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What the retirement of the KC-10 Extender means for the US Air Force

27th September 2024 - 10:25 GMT | by Flavia Camargos Pereira in Kansas City

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A KC-10 Extender being refuelled by another KC-10 over the Atlantic Ocean. (Photo: USAF)

The tanker will be replaced by the KC-46A Pegasus, which is a more capable platform in terms of avionics, but with less payload capacity.

The US Air Force (USAF) has fully divested its remaining fleet of KC-10 Extender after operating the multirole cargo tanker for nearly 45 years. The aircraft will be replaced by the KC-46A Pegasus which is a smaller, lighter platform, with less payload capacity but featuring newer technologies and more modern avionics.

The KC-46A was engineered with a more survivable design for deployment in contested scenarios and has been equipped with several self-protection, defensive and communication features including a radar warning receiver, Large Aircraft IR Countermeasures (LAIRCM), tactical situational awareness and NBC hardening.

Having first entered service with the USAF in 2019, the

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