History of the KC-10A Aircraft Acquisition

Abstract

This is an historical review of the KC-10A acquisition. In this program the Air Force bought an 'off-the-shelf' McDonnell Douglas DC-10 aircraft, using commercial business contracting practices and procedures for both system acquisition and support, and gave the Air Force Logistics Command a rare opportunity to conduct a major system buy. This review traces the program from 1967 to early 1988 and discusses several lessons learned from its unique aspects. To set the stage, the report reviews the major weapon system acquisition process, both as it was in the early 1970s, when this acquisition program formally started, and in its increased complexity of today. This report should be useful to those concerned with systems acquisition, especially those involved in other commercial derivative programs, and interesting to those curious about the KC-10A program. Keywords: Tanker aircraft, Jet transport aircraft, Air Force procurement.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 1988
Accession Number
ADA194398

Entities

People

  • Thomas E. Holubik

Organizations

  • Air Command and Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • C4I
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Air Force Facilities
  • Aircraft Equipment
  • Aircraft Industry
  • Aircrafts
  • Airframes
  • Business Administration
  • Cargo Aircraft
  • Congress
  • Contracts
  • Management Personnel
  • National Security
  • Systems Engineering
  • Tanker Aircraft
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Transport Aircraft
  • United States

Readers

  • Aerospace logistics and air mobility.
  • Civilian Systems Systems Program Capability Development and Upgrade Support Activity Expense and Pay Management.
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.