2 firefighting C-130s deployed, will report to Klamath Falls Airtanker Base

PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. — A team of 302nd Airlift Wing Airmen prepare a C-130H aircraft for takeoff equipped with a U.S. Forest Service Modular Aerial Firefighting System unit at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, Aug. 4, 2023. The aircraft went to support firefighting efforts near Klamath Falls, Oregon. (United States Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Justin Norton)

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – A pair of C-130 Hercules cargo planes are heading to southern Oregon to help fight wildfires.

The U.S. Air Force said the C-130s are equipped with what’s known as “Modular Airborne Firefighting Systems,” or “MAFFS.”

PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. — A team of 302nd Airlift Wing Airmen load a U.S. Forest Service Modular Airborne Firefighting System unit into a C-130H aircraft at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, Aug. 1, 2023. The unit was installed in preparation to perform the 302 AW aerial firefighting special mission. The unit can be installed in approximately four hours with no structural modification to the air frame. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Justin Norton)

The MAFFS are portable fire-retardant delivery systems that can be inserted into a C-130 aircraft without major modifications. This effectively turns the cargo planes into firefighting aircraft capable of dropping up to 3,000 gallons of fire retardant in less than ten seconds across a quarter-mile line.

PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. — 302nd Airlift Wing Airmen test the functionality of a Modular Airborne Firefighting System unit loaded inside the cargo bay of a C-130H aircraft at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, Aug. 2, 2023. The nozzle of the MAFFS unit was installed by a team of 302nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chiefs. The water or retardant can cover an area one-quarter of a mile long and 100 feet wide when sprayed while flying. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Justin Norton)

“The MAFFS aircraft play a crucial role in fighting wildfires and can be rapidly deployed to the affected areas, providing a swift response to emerging wildfires,” said Lieutenant General Steven S. Nordhaus, commander of the Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command Region and 1st Air Force (U.S. Air Forces Northern & U.S. Air Forces Space). “They bring unique capabilities and resources to combat the spread of fire, such as their ability to cover large distances quickly enabling early intervention that can prevent fires from escalating.”

The two C-130s will assist with wildland firefighting operations across western states and each will report to the Klamath Fall Airtanker Base.