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Military aircraft equipped with Modular Airborne Firefighting Systems (MAFFS) mobilized to assist with wildfires
Boise, Idaho, July 16, 2024 – The Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service has activated four Department of Defense C-130 aircraft equipped with MAFFS to assist with increased wildfire activity across the West. One aircraft has been mobilized from each of the participating units: The Air Force Reserve Command’s 302nd Airlift Wing, Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, the California Air National Guard’s 146th Airlift Wing, the Nevada Air National Guard’s 152nd Airlift Wing and the Wyoming Air National Guard’s 153rd Airlift Wing.
The four aircraft are joining the Forest Service and other state and federal agencies fighting wildfires across the West. They are initially working out of Channel Islands Air National Guard Station in Port Hueneme, Calif.
Having military C-130s that can be converted into airtankers provides a critical “surge” capability that can be used to bolster wildfire suppression efforts when commercial airtankers are fully committed or not readily available. 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 military aircraft, and retardant is released through a nozzle on the rear left side. The national MAFFS program is comprised of a total of eight C-130 aircraft.
On July 10, the National Wildland Fire Preparedness Level was elevated to 4 (out of 5), reflecting increased wildland fire activity across the U.S. The level was raised by the National Multi-Agency Coordination Group, composed of wildland fire representatives from each wildland fire agency based at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise, Idaho.
For more information on Modular Airborne Firefighting Systems, visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/fire/planes/maffs.
For background photos and videos of the MAFFS program, visit: www.dvidshub.net/feature/MAFFSAEG.
