HomeMedia

News Search

  • North Carolina Air National Guard returns to MAFFS mission

    The North Carolina Air National Guard's 145th Airlift Wing will return to flying MAFFS Aug. 14, six weeks after four of the unit's Airmen were killed in a C-130 crash during a fire fighting mission in South Dakota."Charlotte's MAFFS 8 will replace MAFFS 9, from California, for three weeks while the 146th Airlift Wing's C-130 undergoes required

  • U.S. Forest Service requests increase in MAFFS operations

    Increased fire activity in the Western United States has prompted the U.S. Forest Service to call two additional MAFFS-equipped C-130s to resume operations by Tuesday. Those aircraft will come from the Wyoming Air National Guard's 153rd Airlift Wing, in Cheyenne, Wyo."This has been an interesting fire season for us. Our operations have waxed and
  • Lt. Col. Julie Resheske, 187th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron flight nurse, assists a wild horse race contestant with a shoulder wrap before competing at Cheyenne Frontier Days July 25, 2012. Resheske has volunteered with the cowboy medics for 10 years. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Rusty Ridley)

    Wyoming troops saddle up for service

    A waft of air at Cheyenne's Frontier Park brings the faint smell of manure, which is freshly pounded by the boots (cowboy, not combat) of soldiers and airmen of the Wyoming National Guard.Their uniforms show the wear of the day and the 90-plus-degree temperatures, but remain professional, shirts tucked in with belt buckles still sparkling.For more

  • U.S. Forest Service modifies MAFFS operations

    A favorable fire outlook has prompted the U.S. Forest Service to allow the 302nd Airlift Wing's two MAFFS-equipped C-130s to return home today."The forest service is very comfortable with where they are, in terms of fire danger," said Col. Jerry Champlin, 153 Air Expeditionary Group commander. "There is some lightening in the long-term forecast, so

  • MAFFS request modified for four C-130s

    The U.S. Forest Service has modified its request for assistance for the MAFFS-equipped C-130s. The new request, received late yesterday, releases two of the six C-130s using Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems to assist with fires. The C-130s have been stationed at Hill Air Force Base, in Utah, and at Boise Air Terminal, in Idaho, for the last
  • A C130-H equipped with Modular Airborne Firefighting Systems (MAFFS) from the 153rd Airlift Wing in Cheyenne, Wyo. drops retardant near the Squirrel Creek fire about 70 miles east of Cheyenne, July 6, 2012. MAFFS is a self-contained aerial firefighting system owned by the U.S. Forest Service that 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. (U.S. Air Force photo / Senior Airman Nicholas Carzis)

    MAFFS operations move west

    Military C-130s equipped with the U.S. Forest Service's Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems have moved staging operations from Cheyenne and Colorado Springs, Colo., to Boise, Idaho, and Salt Lake City.Four of the aircraft, from the 153rd and 302nd Airlift Wings are operating from Boise Air Terminal, in Idaho. Two from 146th Airlift Wing are

  • USNORTHCOM resumes support to wildfire suppression efforts - July 4

    Six Department of Defense C-130 aircraft equipped with U.S. Forest Service Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems (MAFFS) and under the command and control of U.S. Northern Command are assisting in the efforts to control fires in the Rocky Mountain region and western United States at the request of the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in

  • N.C. Air National Guard Announces C-130 Crash Victims

    Four Airmen died and two others were seriously injured when a Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) equipped C-130 belonging to the 145th Airlift Wing, North Carolina Air National Guard, based here, crashed Sunday evening while fighting a woodland fire in Southwestern South Dakota.Dead are Lt. Col. Paul K. Mikeal (pronounced like michael),
  • Staff Sgt. Efren Enriquez, 30th Airlift Squadron propulsion craftsman, sprays the tail of a MAFFS-equipped C-130 on the flightline in Cheyenne, Wyo., July 3, 2012. MAFFS aircraft continue to operate in the Rocky Mountain region to assist with firefighting efforts. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Rusty Ridley)

    153rd Airlift Wing - Modular Airborne Firefighting System

  • Airman 1st Class Tucker Smith, 153rd Maintenance Squadron crew chief, marshals a MAFFS-equipped C-130 assigned to the 146th Airlift Wing, Channel Islands, Calif., July 3, 2012, at the Wyoming Air National Guard base. MAFFS aircraft continue to operate in the Rocky Mountain region to assist with firefighting efforts. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Rusty Ridley)

    C-130 MAFFS Operations Resume Today

    The Commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command and United States Northern Command announced that the C-130 Modular Airborne Fire-Fighting System fleet will resume operations today in support of the National Interagency Fire Center and its firefighters on the front lines in several states.Operational flying was suspended for one day to
RSS