More than two years ago, the last Royal Netherlands Air Force KDC-10 departed for the United States. Now one of the devices has a scoop.
The two transport/tanker aircraft were sold to the American company Omega Aerial Refueling. This trading company provides refueling services on a contractual basis to the US Defense Forces, among others. Earlier this month, the USAF announced that one of the KDC-10 aircraft was being used to refuel a B-52 Stratofortress and an MC-130J Hercules aircraft. This makes the plane the first commercial aircraft to refuel these types of aircraft. Pictures show it to be a former T-264. The machine was recently certified to refuel C-17 and A-10 aircraft.
At the end of last year, the US Air Force published photos of the same KDC-10 aircraft along with a number of US Air Force F-16 aircraft. The 51st Fighter Wing's F-16s flew from their home base at Osan (South Korea) to Singapore to participate in Exercise Commando Sling 23, and Omega's KDC-10s flew for support, not just to support the F-16s 16s to resupply Refueling in the air and also for transporting equipment and ground crew. This was the first time a commercial party supported USAF fighter aircraft. Until the arrival of the Dutch KDC-10s, Omega only had tankers equipped with the hose system, as used by the US Navy. Most USAF aircraft are fueled by a boom system. Dutch machines are equipped with such a “boom” which is an extendable tube for refueling.
Third life
In Omega, the two Dutch KDC-10s have a “third life”. Between 1973 and 1995, the aircraft served as a DC-10-30-CF with Martinair. In 1992, Martinair signed a contract with Defense for the sale of two aircraft. In 1995, the PH-MBP and PH-MBT were converted by KLM into the KDC-10 tanker/transport aircraft for the Air Force. The MBP became T-235 'Jan Scheffer', and the MBT was changed to T-264 'Prins Bernhard'. With the arrival of the Airbus A330MRTT, the curtain has fallen on the Dutch KDC-10. In November 2019, T-264 left Omega for its new owner, followed in October 2021 by T-235.
Read also: Operational life of the KDC-10 in the Royal Air Force
