MAFFS aircraft stage from Kirtland to fight fires

  • Published
  • By Stefan Bocchino
  • 377ABW Public Affairs
Kirtland AFB, NM --  Two C-130J Modular Airborne Firefighting System-equipped aircraft arrived at Kirtland Air Force Base June 15 to conduct firefighting missions in support of wildfire suppression efforts in the Southwestern U.S.

The aircraft are from the 302d Air Expeditionary Group, commanded by Lt. Col. Kurt Holden. The 302 AEG is being supported by aircraft from the 146th Airlift Wing of the California Air National Guard. They will stage from Kirtland AFB during their mission here.

Two more MAFFS aircraft from the North Carolina Air National Guard's 145th Airlift Wing arrived at Kirtland AFB June 19 to join in efforts to control the wildfires in the Southwestern U.S.

The MAFFS aircraft were deployed here at the request of the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho. The request is sent to the Secretary of Defense for approval. Once approved, DOD can provide unique firefighting assets to the requesting agencies.

"These aircraft have great performance," said Colonel Holden. "They carry within them a 3,000-gallon tank that can drop any combination of water and/or fire retardant. They are extremely maneuverable and work well in mountainous regions and in the hard-to-reach areas in the fires."

The MAFFS units will work under the operational control of U.S. Northern Command through Air Forces Northern, and missions will be assigned by NIFC or the respective Wildland Fire Manager. The U.S. Northern Command mission includes mitigating the effects of disasters by providing timely, effective support to civil authorities. Firefighting is part of that overall mission.

The 302 AEG will be tasked by the Forest Service to battle fires in the Southwest region. They will be dispatched through the control center here. Their base of operations will be at Kirtland AFB, however they may go to other bases to reload the aircraft as needed and then return here.

"We have a tradition of assisting firefighting efforts in our community," said Col. Robert L. Maness, 377th Air Base Wing commander. "We have sent units from Kirtland on a number of occasions to help fight wildfires in this region. Now we are providing beddown capabilities and support to Air National Guard air assets who are helping fight the wildfires in the Southwest region."

The 302 AEG was dispatched on its first mission June 16 to the wildfires near Raton, N.M.

"We'll be here as long as we're needed," said Colonel Holden. "We're very flexible in our operations. We try and keep our footprint small, and our operations are extremely flexible so we can move wherever we need to. I would like to thank Kirtland AFB for their outstanding support. We're just happy to be here and hope we can help."