GREENVILLE, S.C., - Military and civilian officials from Ukraine are observing airmen from the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve train withthe Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) here at the South Carolina Technology and Aviation Center this week.
The Ministry of Defense of the Ukraine sent two representatives from their Joint Operations Command interested in the relationship of military, government and civilian agencies. Ukraine's Ministry of Energy also has two pilots and one search and rescue specialist here to document firefighting methods with the MAFFS equipped aircraft.
"We are very interested in the coordination and cooperation of military, government and civilian agencies," said Col. Kozyrkov Ihor of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense. We are eager to bring the lessons we have learned here today back home to help with our humanitarian efforts."
Ukraine is joined with the California National Guard in the State Partnership Program. The state's 146th Airlift Wing is one of the units training here this week.
The three other units assigned and equipped to execute the MAFFS missions are the 145th AW from the North Carolina Air National Guard, the 153rd AW from the Wyoming Air Guard andd the Air Force Reserve's 302nd AW out of Colorado Springs, Colo.
MAFFS uses C-130 aircraft are used to drop fire retardant, as ground crews require additional assistance in creating line to slow the fires progression.
"The Ukraine began fighting forest fires with aircraft three years ago, and we are here to learn new ways to use our assets in fighting forest fires," said Zolokotskyi Andrii, a search and rescue specialist with Ukraine's Ministry of Energy. "The experiences we are gaining concerning fighting forest fires are very important to us and our country and will continue to be used for a long time."