McDonnell Douglas DC-10

McDonnell Douglas was formed in 1967 when the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation, the company that produced the F-4 Phantom supersonic fighter and the Mercury and Gemini space capsules, bought the 47-year-old Douglas Aircraft Company. Douglas’s DC-10 design competed directly with Lockheed to produce an aircraft capable of operating from standard-length runways. Powered by General Electric CF6-D turbofan engines and produced in a multi-company manufacturing agreement with Convair and Aeritalia, the DC-10 first flew in 1972. It is operated by a crew of three and has a basic range of 3,800 miles (6,116km) with a service ceiling of 42,000ft (12,802m). Of the commercial variants, the Series 10 is a short-to medium-haul version for domestic routes, whereas the long-range -30 and -40 versions are for extended-range and intercontinental travel. There have also been freighter versions and subsequent conversions, with 60 air-refuelling tankers built for the United States Air Force as the KC-10A Extender.