MANAS, Kyrgyzstan - The Air Force and Air National Guard can now say they have gone to the ends of the earth to support operations in Afghanistan.
A KC-135 Stratotanker, with a Total Force crew of active duty and Air National Guard members, flew north until it started flying south, June 21 to 22.
The tanker cut a new pathway over the Arctic Circle and the North Pole between Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash., and the Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan.
It was the first time an Air Force air refueling tanker has ever flown this route.
The mission followed another historic flight that took place June 5 to 6 when a C-5M Super Galaxy traversed the Arctic Circle to fly the first direct delivery airlift mission from Dover Air Force Base, Del., to Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan.
A 2009 U.S.-Russia transit agreement helped make the new arctic routes possible, according to U.S. Transportation Command. The KC-135 flight over the North Pole alone saved the Air Force approximately 4.5 hours and $54,000.
"These routes give us interesting new options and open new corridors," said Air Force Maj. Chris Fuller, a plans chief at the 618th Air and Space Operations Center, Tanker Airlift Control Center.
The Fairchild tanker crew flew to Manas, a key air refueling base for Afghanistan operations, as part of an iron swap to deploy the aircraft and four Airmen there.
The Air Force can use Russian air space for iron swaps as well as transport passengers and cargo, Fuller said.
Typically, KC-135 crews doing tanker swaps from Fairchild fly to England, stay the night, and then fly to Kyrgyzstan the next day.
While a few hours and thousands of dollars may not seem like much, projected savings could be remarkable, officials said. The Air Force is the Defense Department's largest fuel customer, and Air Mobility Command consumes approximately 60 percent of the Air Force's fuel.
Fuel savings such as those accrued by more direct routes "can be used to recapitalize the aging fleet as well as provide for incentives that support more ideas to improve fuel efficiency," said Air Force Lt. Col. Marc Gildner of the AMC Fuel Efficiency Office.
With budget constraints, the ability to back incentives that inspire efficiency is invaluable.
Undersecretary of the Air Force Erin Conaton said during a 2010 visit to AMC, fuel savings can help AMC "reinvest those dollars in things that make the mobility air forces as highly effective as possible."
New routes like the KC-135 polar over-flight also help AMC more effectively support combatant commanders.
Bypassing the United Kingdom, the KC-135 polar over-flight crew saved two days of mandatory crew rest, including their anticipated return from Manas. The two days were added to their deployment time at Manas, said Air Force 1st Lt. Remington Barnes, 92nd Air Refueling Squadron pilot.
Such shifting of resources comes at a crucial period, when tankers are in higher demand than ever, statistics show. Additionally, when NATO operations in Libya began, KC-135s provided refueling support to the no-fly zone.
Meanwhile, the need for tankers in Afghanistan didn't let up, explained Air Force Maj. Jeff Schrum, aircraft commander of the KC-135 polar over-flight mission.
Air refueling crews have continually set records since Sept. 11, 2001.
"Our tanker crews underwrite America's ability to project power rapidly," said Air Force Gen. Raymond E. Johns Jr., AMC commander. "They provide the bridge for global reach -- enabling us to provide the right effects, to the right place, at the right time."
The flight, made possible by close diplomatic cooperation and months of operational planning, could open doors for future efficiencies as well as strengthen global partnerships, AMC officials said.