Aviation-Guide - Flipbook - Page 34
Lockheed C‑130
PHOTO © JEREMY ULLOA
Type I Airtanker - Modular Airborne Firefighting System
I
S P E C I F I C AT
ONS:
Cruise Speed:
275 mph
Gallon Capacity:
3,000
Original Owner
U.S. Air Force
Air National Guard
Air Force Reserve
Crew
Pilot, Co-pilot and Flight
Engineer
Mission
A MAFFS (Modular Airborne FireFighting System)
unit is a 3,000 gallon pressurized tank installed on
a military Lockheed C-130 cargo/utility aircraft.
Retardant or water is dropped out of the tank in under
five seconds through two tubes at the rear of the
plane or through one tube out of the side in the newer
models. The retardant dropped can cover an area of
one quarter mile long and 60 feet wide to act as a
fire barrier. The objective of the MAFFS program is to
provide additional emergency aircraft to supplement
the existing airtankers during major fire sieges. The
MAFFS is not used for initial attack.
History
Congress established the MAFFS program after the
1970 Laguna Fire overwhelmed the existing aviation
firefighting resources. The U.S. Forest Service was
directed to develop a program in cooperation with the
Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve to produce
the equipment, training and operational procedures to
integrate military air tankers into the national response
system. In 2009 the MAFFS 2 was unveiled as the
next-generation portable retardant dispersal system.
The MAFFS 2 is more efficient and effective in its
retardant dropping capabilities.
34
