Battleland

Afghan War Just Got Cheaper

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View of the Arctic June 22 as a KC-135 makes a historic, and bargain, trip / Air Force photo by Kathleen Ferrero

OK. It’s not much, but every little bit helps. Thanks to a new airspace access deal with Russia — with Russia! — a U.S. KC-135 refueling tanker was able to fly from Washington state to the big U.S. base in Kyrgyzstan via the North Pole last week. The Manas base in Kyrgyzstan is a major support hub for the war in Afghanistan. The new route cut 4.5 hours off the total flight time — and saved $54,000 in fuel and related costs.