Defense Visual Information Distribution Service
A C-130H Hercules aircraft from the 152rd Airlift Wing, Nevada Air National Guard, taxis after a Modular Airborne Firefighting System training mission in Boise, Idaho, in April. The Nevada Air Guard will assist in firefighting operations in the northwestern U.S. in a particularly busy year for wildfires.
Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022 | 5:22 p.m.
The Nevada Air Guard is standing by to support wildland firefighting operations in the northwestern U.S.
The Nevada Air Guard’s 152nd Airlift Wing and the California Air National Guard’s 146th Airlift Wing have filled a request by the National Interagency Fire Center for two C-130 aircraft equipped with Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems (MAFFS).
There have been 49,193 fires across the U.S. so far this fire year, with more than 6 million acres burning, per the NIFC website. Northern California, in particular, is currently dealing with wildfires.
The aircraft and their crews arrived in Idaho on Friday, according to a release.
“We greatly appreciate the assistance of our military partners,” Kim Christensen, deputy assistant director for operations for the U.S. Forest Service, said in the release. “These aircraft will help provide additional capacity for aerial firefighting.”
Military C-130 aircraft can be converted to air tankers, which use retardant to build lines of containment and slow the spread of wildfires, when commercial air tankers are already fully committed or unavailable.
The 152nd Airlift Wing, based in Reno and known as the High Rollers, is one of four military C-130 units nationwide equipped with MAFFS for fighting wildfires. MAFFS aircraft can drop up to 3,000 gallons of retardant in less than 10 seconds across a quarter-mile line.
The High Rollers dropped over 8 million pounds of retardant in 2021, according to the release.
“We’ve trained and prepared well to be called into action this fire season,” Col. Evan Kirkwood, 152nd Air Expeditionary Group commander, said in the release. “As citizen Airmen, we are always honored to help out our community, state and nation. Last year was an unprecedented fire year and I continue to be humbled by the outstanding work showcased by the amazing Airmen I serve with.”
The initial request for firefighting support from the Nevada Air National Guard lasts through Oct. 8.
