Video

DVIDSVideoPlayer

Video by Master Sgt. Nicholas Carzis

Download

MAFFS Operations Expand with Additional Fire Fighting Aircraft from Nevada and Wyoming Air National Guard

146 Airlift Wing, California Air National Guard

July 26, 2024 | 7:36

Department of Defense MAFFS (Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System) equipped C-130 aircraft from the Air National Guard’s 146th Airlift Wing, California Air National Guard, 152nd Airlift Wing, Nevada Air National Guard, the 153rd Airlift Wing, Wyoming Air National Guard, and the Air Force Reserve’s 302nd Airlift Wing, Colorado, perform aerial fire fighting operations at the Channel Islands Air National Guard Station, Port Hueneme, California, July 26, 2024. The Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service 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. These MAFFS aircraft are joining the Forest Service and other state and federal agencies fighting wildfires across the West. These military C-130s can be converted into airtankers, providing 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. (U.S. Air National Guard video by Master Sgt. Nieko Carzis)