MAFFS training

A C-130H Hercules from the 302nd Airlift Wing, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., drops water May 2, 2007, at the Albuquerque (N.M.) Air Tanker Base during annual Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System training. C-130 aircrews from the Air Force Reserve Command unit and three Air National Guard units trained with MAFFS delivery system in preparation for the 2007 wild fire season. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Rick Sforza)

MAFFS training

Master Sgt. Tracey White from the 302nd Maintenance Squadron drags a Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System hose to a waiting 302nd Airlift Wing C-130 on May 1, 2007, to charge the aircraft's MAFFS tanks with water and air. C-130 aircrews from the Air Force Reserve Command unit based at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., and Air National Guard units trained at the U.S. Forest Service's Albuquerque Air Tanker Base in New Mexico. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Rick Sforza)

MAFFS training

A CV-22 Osprey from the 58th Special Operations Wing, Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., flies over a C-130 from the 302nd Airlift Wing and the U.S. Forest Service's Albuquerque Air Tanker Base as C-130 aircrews from the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command began arriving April 30, 2007, for Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System training at the air tanker base in New Mexico. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Rick Sforza)

MAFFS training

A C-130 from the 731st Airlift Squadron, 302nd Air Wing out of Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., clears a ridge line after taking off May 1, 2007, from Kirtland AFB, N.M., during Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System training at the U.S. Forest Service's Albuquerque Air Tanker Base in New Mexico. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Rick Sforza)

MAFFS training

From left, Master Sgt. Tim McWilliams, Senior Master Sgt. Jim Rucker and Senior Master Sgt. Dave Carey, all flight engineers from the 731st Airlift Squadron, 302nd Airlift Wing, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., finish a day of training. C-130 aircrews from the Air Force Reserve Command unit and Air National Guard units began arriving April 30, 2007, for the first day of Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System training at the U.S. Forest Service's Albuquerque Air Tanker Base in New Mexico. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Rick Sforza)

MAFFS training

Maj. Mark Steward, left, speaks with Maj. Robert Fairbanks and Lt. Col. Gary Carlton as C-130s are prepared to fly Modular Airborne Fire Figthing System training missions over New Mexico. These C-130 aircrew members from Air Force Reserve Command's 302nd Airlift Wing, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., as well as other Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve crew members trained at the U.S. Forest Service's Albuquerque Air Tanker Base in New Mexico. (U..S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Rick Sforza)

Air Force aerial firefighters train in New Mexico

Published May 2, 2007

KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- Air Force C-130 transport aircraft dotted the skies over central New Mexico from April 30 to May 4 in preparation for this year's firefighting season.

The Cibola National Forest and the Air Force Reserve Command's 302nd Airlift Wing, based at Peterson AFB, Colo., hosted the annual training and recertification for military pilots flying firefighting missions.

The Air Force aircraft are equipped with the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System. MAFFS units drop fire retardant or water on wild land fires. The U.S. Forest Service based the flight operations out of its Albuquerque Air Tanker Base.

About 300 air and ground personnel from the 302nd AW and the Air National Guard's 145th AW, Charlotte/Douglas Airport, N.C.; 146th AW, Channel Islands ANG Station, Calif.; and 153rd AW, Cheyenne Airport, Wyo., participated in the training.

Employees from civilian land management agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs and North Carolina State Forestry, took part in the training. The week included classroom and flight training for military flight crews, civilian lead plane pilots and various support people.

MAFFS is a cooperative effort between the military and civilian land management agencies. It provides additional airborne firefighting capability during periods of high wild land fire activity to help protect and safeguard people and property throughout the United States during the annual fire season.

The C-130s are equipped with special slide-in MAFFS units which allow them to drop up to 3,000 gallons of retardant on wild land fires.

The Air Force has a total of eight MAFFS units. The aircraft operate through U.S. Northern Command, which plans, organizes and executes homeland defense and civil support missions based on an agreement with the Department of Defense.

During the training, the MAFFS air tankers dropped about 500,000 gallons of potable water on drop sites in the Cibola National Forest. (Air Force Reserve Command News Service from a Kirtland AFB news release)