Additional MAFFS aircraft arrive Published June 30, 2012 By Public Affairs 153rd Air Expeditionary Group PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Additional Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System-equipped C-130s arrived Peterson Air Force base today. The C-130s from the 146th Airlift Wing, Channel Islands, Calif. and the 145th Airlift Wing, Charlotte, N.C. will join the 302nd (Colo.) and 153rd (Wyo.) Airlift Wings in supporting the ongoing U.S. Forest Service wildland fire fighting efforts. MAFFS is a joint DoD and U.S. Forest Service program. A self-contained aerial firefighting system, the MAFFS units are owned by the U.S. Forest Service and can discharge 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant in less than 5 seconds, covering an area one-quarter of a mile long by 100 feet wide. Once the load is discharged, it can be refilled in less than 12 minutes. All eight C-130s will join together to form the 153rd Air Expeditionary Group while supporting the current MAFFS mission.