- Title: New firefighting C-130 air tanker debuts on runway in California
- Date: 29th August 2024
- Summary: MCCLELLAN PARK, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (AUGUST 29, 2024) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF C-130 ON TARMAC CALFIRE LOGO ON PLANE PROPELLERS VARIOUS OF CHRIS WILLSON OF CALFIRE'S TACTICAL AIR OPERATIONS INSIDE AIRCRAFT (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHRIS WILLSON, TACTICAL AIR OPERATIONS FOR CALFIRE, SAYING: "Yeah. This is one of seven C-130s CalFire has acquired. And behind me is the retarda
- Embargoed: 12th September 2024 19:48
- Keywords: CalFire CalFire air support CalFire air tanker California California wildfires fires wildfires
- Location: MCCLELLAN PARK, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES / UNKNOWN LOCATION
- City: MCCLELLAN PARK, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES / UNKNOWN LOCATION
- Country: US
- Topics: Disaster/Accidents,North America,Wildfires/Forest Fires
- Reuters ID: LVA002016029082024RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The first of seven C-130 Hercules air tankers is ready to fly and help fight wildfires in California.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or CalFire, acquired the aircraft from the U.S. Coast Guard through the National Defense Authorization Act of 2018. But it wasn't until December 2023 that CalFire started receiving them.
Since then, CalFire engineers have worked for eight months to complete the modifications required to put the plane into service for fighting fires.
The primary modification is the installation of a 4,000-gallon tank in the cargo hold. This tank is bigger than the 1,200-gallon tank in CalFire's S-2T Air Tanker planes and bigger than the tanks found in other air tankers.
To install the tank, workers must cut out a section of the underside of the aircraft to build the release doors and the bottom of the tank. The upper portion of the tank is built elsewhere and rolled in and installed.
CalFire officials say the addition of the C-130s to their fleet will be a force multiplier that will allow them to gain the upper hand on mega wildfires that have erupted across the state in the past decade.
(Production: Nathan Frandino) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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