K
NOWN TO AIRCREWS as
the ‘Gateway to the Paci c’,
more passengers and cargo
pass through Travis AFB’s
cavernous military air terminal
in each year than any other
in the United States. Located in the San
Francisco Bay area, three miles east of
Fair eld, Travis is home to the 60th Air
Mobility Wing, the largest organization
of its type in the air force. Its mission is
simple — to rapidly project American
power around the
world as required,
any time, anywhere.
On top of that, it is
responsible for global
strategic airlift and aerial
refueling.The 6th Air Refueling Squadron (ARS)
operates 27 McDonnell Douglas KC-10A
Extenders in the air-to-air refueling
tanker and airlift roles. Combat Aircraft
spoke to Maj Bob Budde, a KC-10 pilot
and evaluator assigned to the unit. ‘I
completed my ight training in 2005
at Laughlin AFB, Texas, and began my
career with the KC-10 at Joint Base
McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey. After
four years at McGuire ying across the
globe in the USAF’s premier heavy tanker,
I returned to Laughlin to teach students
basic ight skills in the [Beechcraft] T-6
Texan II trainer. After four years, I was
reassigned to Travis to resume
ying the KC-10. I now have
2,500 hours’ ight time
on the type.The Travis-based 60th Air Mobility Wing’s mission is to rapidly
project American power around the world at a moment’s notice.
Without the likes of the 6th Aerial Refueling Squadron’s KC-10A
Extenders, it would be an impossible task.REPORT AND PHOTOS Ashley Wallace
‘The KC-10 is the only mission design
series that I’ve been assigned to. I
understand that there are advantages
to other aircraft in the [USAF] eet;
however, I’ve always enjoyed the
mission of the KC-10. We are consistently
called upon to travel the world, enabling
the USAF to achieve true global mobility.’
Most operational sorties involve the
movements of ghter, bomber and
transport aircraft across the US and
around the globe. For example, the 6th
has a major commitment in the Paci c
region supporting aircraft that need to
transit considerable distances between
America, the various islands and other
allied bases across Asia. While most of
these assignments involve extending the
range of other aircraft and supporting
them as they transit to their destinations,
the KC-10 can carry cargo when space
and weight allow. The Extender has
proved itself time and time again to be an
incredibly exible platform.Flying the KC-10
‘The Extender is surprisingly responsive,’
says Budde of the aircraft, which is based
on the commercial DC-10. ‘The ight84 June 2018 //^ http://www.combataircraft.net
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