| DC-10 Air Tanker | |
|---|---|
 Tanker 910 fighting the Rim Fire, August 2013 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Firefighting aircraft |
| Manufacturer | McDonnell Douglas (conversion by 10 Tanker STC) |
| Primary user | 10 Tanker Air Carrier |
| Number built | 5 converted from former airliners |
| History | |
| Introduction date | 2006 |
| First flight | 2006 |
| Developed from | McDonnell Douglas DC-10 |
The DC-10 Air Tanker is a series of American wide-body jet air tankers, which have been in service as an aerial firefighting unit since 2006.[1] The aircraft, operated by the joint technical venture 10 Tanker Air Carrier, are converted wide-body McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 passenger jetliners, and are primarily used to fight wildfires, typically in rural areas. The turbofan-powered aircraft carry up to 9,400[2] US gallons (35,583 liters) of water or fire retardant in an exterior belly-mounted tank, the contents of which can be released in eight seconds. Four air tankers are currently in operation, all DC-10-30 aircraft, with the call-signs Tanker 910, 911, 912 and 914. The original Tanker 910, a DC-10-10, was retired in 2014.