Firefighting C-130s Deploy to Kirtland

June 16, 2011

Two specially configured C-130s from the California Air National Guard’s 146th Airlift Wing at Channel Islands ANG Station on Wednesday deployed to Kirtland AFB, N.M., to help contain wildfires that have been raging for nearly two weeks in the southwestern United States. Those containment missions are scheduled to begin Thursday. These aircraft carry the Modular Airborne Firefighting System, self-contained equipment that can discharge 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant in less than five seconds on an area one-quarter of a mile long by 60 feet wide. Previously this year, MAFFS-equipped C-130s from across the nation helped fight wildfires in Texas and northern Mexico. (Tyndall report by Tom Saunders)

Related Content

30 Years After Desert Storm: Feb. 25

Feb. 24, 2021
In commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of Operation Desert Storm, Air Force Magazine is posting daily recollections from the six-week war, which expelled Iraq from occupied Kuwait.

WATCH: vAWS ‘21 Day 1 Highlight Report

Feb. 24, 2021
The new enlisted guide to professional military education; the Chief of Staff on force employment and legacy systems; and the KC-46 begins to to contribute. All this and more from Day 1 of the Air Force Association’s virtual Aerospace Warfare Symposium.

To Inspire New USAF Tech, Look to Mars Rover

Feb. 24, 2021
Last week, NASA’s Perseverance rover thrilled citizens of Earth when it landed on Mars with the promise of a new chapter in red planet exploration. But the military could also learn a thing or two from the spacecraft’s trip for future research and development efforts, Space Force Chief Scientist Joel…

How USAF and the Space Force Can Move Forward on Diversity and Inclusion

Feb. 24, 2021
The Department of the Air Force’s new Office of Diversity and Inclusion is using the findings of the Air Force Inspector General’s 2020 Independent Racial Disparity Review and the framework the office used during its time as a task force to mold its future efforts, the office's boss and Acting…

PACAF Boss Calls for E-7s to Replace Aging E-3 AWACS

Feb. 24, 2021
The head of Pacific Air Forces is calling for new aircraft in his theater to meet the need for air superiority, including a quick short-term replacement for aging airborne warning and control aircraft and, in the future, the service’s next generation fighter. PACAF boss Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach told reporters…

AFWERX Aims to Formally Launch SpaceWERX This Summer

Feb. 24, 2021
AFWERX expects to formally launch SpaceWERX—a center for military-space-centric innovation intended to support Space Force acquisition—this summer, AFWERX director Col. Nathan Diller told reporters at the Air Force Association’s virtual Aerospace Warfare Symposium on Feb. 24. “We are expecting very soon—in the coming months—to actually narrow down that space topic…

Going Digital Will Take Courage; Fighter Study Looks to 2040s

Feb. 24, 2021
Former Air Force acquisition chief Will Roper's transformational ideas on how to buy new systems will stay on track without him, senior service officials said Feb. 24. Digital engineering, agile software development, and open architectures will play a part in all new systems. But sticking to Roper's rapid-refresh ideas about…

EUCOM Boss: Russia, China Recognizing Importance of Space as USSF Grows

Feb. 24, 2021
The creation and growth of the U.S. Space Force comes as Russia and China have recognized the importance of a military presence in space, and the U.S. and NATO need to ensure they have access to the best “indications and warnings” in that domain, the head of U.S. forces in…

Here’s How Air Force Reserve Command is Training for Readiness

Feb. 24, 2021
Since individual readiness is the key to ensuring overall Air Force Reserve Command readiness, Air Force Reserve Chief Lt. Gen. Richard W. Scobee said AFRC is being mindful of how troops’ civilian job descriptions and uniformed taskings line up, and taking a strategic, tiered approach to training them.