First of California’s long-awaited military aircraft in use to fight wildfires. See it fly
A military aircraft converted to fight California wildfires is in the air after years of federal delays.
The first of seven C-130 aircraft transferred from the U.S. Coast Guard and retrofitted is now combating the state’s wildfires, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office announced Monday.
“The climate crisis has made wildfires more destructive, and we need to match these threats with new resources. This aircraft will beef up Cal Fire’s ability to hit fires earlier and harder, better protecting Californians,” Newsom said in a press release. “It’s part of our overall strategy that adds more boots on the ground and state-of-the-art technologies to Cal Fire’s world-leading capabilities, along with our huge ramp up in forest management.”
California is the first state to have this type of plane, a C-130 Hercules airtanker, to fight wildfires.
Getting it airborne took more than five years: In 2018, Congress told the U.S. Air Force to convert seven surplus Coast Guard aircraft into firefighting tankers for California’s fire protection agency, Cal Fire.
A series of delays caused by the pandemic, contracting issues and construction hurdles prevented the job from being completed. At the end of last year, the state took over retrofitting the aircraft for wildfire fighting.
California was able to do this because in 2023, Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, and Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., put a provision in a defense spending bill to transfer control of the C-130 aircraft to California immediately, done or not.
“With the completed transfer of federal airtankers to Cal Fire, we are equipping California’s firefighters with significant new capabilities to protect our communities and save lives,” said Padilla on Monday.
Cal Fire’s wildfire fighting fleet
Cal Fire, which already had more than 60 aircraft in use, is the world’s largest civil firefighting fleet. The agency’s contingent already contained about two dozen S-2T air tankers, which can hold 1,200 gallons of fire retardant.
In comparison, C-130s — giant four-engine turboprops traditionally used for transport and aerial refueling — can carry up to 4,000 gallons. The aircraft, which can fly 800 miles with the retardant, has the greatest speed and range of Cal Fire’s fleet, Newsom’s office said.
“As wildfire frequency and severity increase across California, the introduction of this aircraft will undoubtedly play a crucial role in helping us achieve our initial attack goals,” said Cal Fire Chief Joe Tyler, “particularly in our efforts to keep 95% of fires at 10 acres or less.”
Retardant is used around a fire’s perimeter to slow its spread. Its effectiveness depends on winds, weather and terrain, but firefighters rely on fire retardant to quickly contain blazes.
Delays go back a decade
Cal Fire is expected to add the seven C-130 aircraft to its fleet up and down the state as they’re done being converted to fight fires. The military was able to do some modifications before handing them over to Cal Fire. The Bee reached out to Cal Fire asking when the other six C-130s will be operational.
The Air Force was originally charged with updating these aircraft a decade ago: In 2013, under a 2014 federal spending mandate, the surplus Coast Guard planes were supposed to go to the U.S. Forest Service.
Years of delays and rising cost estimates led the Trump administration in late 2017 to scrap the idea.
Through efforts by Cal Fire and late Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and John McCain, R-Ariz., in 2018, Congress directed in the 2019 defense spending bill that the planes go to California, which had a robust firefighting fleet and worsening wildfire seasons.
The soonest planes were expected to get to California was 2021, Roll Call reported at the time. A fresh round of delays — caused by the pandemic and often glacial federal contracting procedures — prolonged the wait.
California wildfires have worsened
Meanwhile California has seen some of the largest, deadliest and most expensive wildfires in the state’s history. The 2020 August Complex burned the most acres in the state’s history. The 2021 Dixie Fire was California’s largest single fire. And the 2018 Camp Fire was the state’s deadliest and most destructive.
Rising global temperatures indicate wildfires could become more common and severe.
The Park Fire is California’s largest in 2024. It is now the fourth-largest wildfire in state history: Almost 430,000 acres have burned as of Monday, according to Cal Fire.
It’s the state’s largest ever allegedly caused by arson and started in Upper Bidwell Park, adjacent to the city of Chico in Butte County, on July 24. It is 82% contained as of Monday.
More than 832,000 acres have burned across the state this year, according to Cal Fire.
This story was originally published August 26, 2024 at 12:19 PM with the headline "First of California’s long-awaited military aircraft in use to fight wildfires. See it fly."
