Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS)

Last week two Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft from the North Carolina Air National Guard (145th Airlift Wing) from Charlotte redeployed to California to help with the wildland fires out west. (see story NC Air National Guard Announces C-130 Crash Victims).

The NCANG C-130s are equipped with the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) to drop water or fire retardant on the fire. According to Wikipedia, "the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System or MAFFS is a self-contained unit used for aerial firefighting that can be loaded onto a C-130 Hercules, a military cargo transport, which then allows the aircraft to be used as an air tanker against wildfires. This allows the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to utilize military aircraft from the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve to serve as an emergency backup resource to the civilian air tanker fleet."

Here's a video of the MAFFS in action:

145th Airlift Wing Returns To MAFFS Mission