The KC-10 Extender recently marked 25 years of continuous operations in the US Central Command area of responsibility. Extenders first deployed to the region in 1991 to begin refueling aircraft conducting operations in the region, and they continue to support aircraft flying in support of Operations Freedom’s Sentinel and Inherent Resolve. “There’s a lot of history here for us,” said a senior master sergeant assigned to the 380th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron in a 380th AEW release (The Air Force does not provide the names of deployed airmen). Extenders are based at only two locations—Travis AFB, Calif., and JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.—so the crews routinely rotate to locations in the AOR. Air Force refueling aircraft have continued to set records in the AOR. KC-135s deployed to CENTCOM recently set a record by exceeding 100,000 hours refueling US and coalition aircraft in the region.
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.