American military pilots made a round-the-world flight on an air tanker for 46 hours.

As the Air Force Times reports, the KC-46A Pegasus tanker took off from McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas on June 29 and landed at the base in Kansas, where the 22nd ARW is based, on July 1. The crew flew more than 24,000 miles.

The crew consisted of nine pilots who demonstrated the endurance of the Air Force's newest refueling aircraft.

As the specialized publication writes, the mission was part of the Magellan project “, which is intended to support a long-term operation in the Pacific Ocean, which may require a rapid increase in troops and supplies.

“We wanted to demonstrate the ability of the KC-46 to fly around the world… We have demonstrated our ability to deploy and maintain forces anywhere in the world, starting with the Pacific Ocean,”, – said the aircraft's commander, Air Force Col. Brent Toth.

Heading west, the aircraft refueled four times in the air from tankers based at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam; US Central Command; and RAF Mildenhall, England.

The plane also delivered fuel for eight other aircraft during the trip, including B-2 Spirit bombers that took off from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri.

According to the publication Air and Space Forces, Project Magellan is a response to threat of conflict with China.

It, the publication writes, belongs to the long-term missions designed to test the pilots, as “the crews are preparing to transport the remaining troops and equipment to the vast distances of the Pacific Ocean in possible conditions of conflict with China.”

The flight took place against the background of expert forecasts regarding the potential conflict between Russia and NATO and other threats facing the United States.

“Russia can be contained if the West is strong enough”, – quotes experts from Business Insider.

In particular, NATO should strengthen its air defense capabilities along the alliance's eastern flank, where member states have said they could become Russia's first targets if it succeeds in Ukraine.< /p>

Also, the alliance should pay more attention to preparing for a possible war in the air, according to Justin Bronk, an air force expert at the Royal Joint Services Institute of Great Britain.

“No one really wants to be in an air war with Russia”, – said John Baum, an expert at the Mitchell Institute and a retired US Air Force lieutenant colonel.

But the West cannot afford to be unprepared, – summarize assessments of the realism of such a future in Business Insider.