TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - At the request of the National Interagency Fire Center, U.S. Northern Command deployed two C-130 aircraft equipped with Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems from California and Colorado for wildland firefighting operations from Channel Islands Air National Guard Station in Port Hueneme, California, over multiple fires in California. Two additional aircraft will be activated later this week from Nevada and Wyoming.
The MAFFS aircraft involved in the firefighting mission include one each from the California Air National Guard’s 146th Airlift Wing, Port Hueneme; the 153rd Airlift Wing, Wyoming Air National Guard, the 152nd Airlift Wing, Nevada National Guard, and the Air Force Reserve Command’s 302nd Airlift Wing, Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado. Air Forces Northern, U.S. Northern Command’s Air Component Command, will oversee the military aerial operation in support of federal and state efforts.
When requested, the MAFFS C-130 units and crews convert the C-130s into airtankers that provide a critical “surge” capability during the height of fire season. The C-130 aircraft are equipped with the U.S. Forest Service’s MAFFS, which can drop up to 3,000 gallons of fire retardant in less than 10 seconds across a quarter-mile line. The system slides into the back of the C-130, and retardant is released through a nozzle on the rear left side.
NIFC is the nation's support center for wildland firefighting. Eight agencies and organizations are part of NIFC, including the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, National Weather Service, U.S. Fire Administration, National Association of State Foresters, and state emergency response agencies.