Padilla, Newsom Announce C-130 Hercules Aircraft is Now Fighting California Wildfires
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the first of California’s seven C-130 Hercules (C-130H) aircraft began flying missions as part of CAL FIRE’s fleet to better protect the state from deadly wildfires.
California becomes the first state in the nation to own, operate, and deploy a C-130H airtanker to fight wildfires and protect communities following Padilla’s extensive federal efforts to secure seven military aircraft for the state to retrofit and use. Capable of flying 800 miles with a payload of 4,000 gallons long-term fire retardant, the C-130H now has the greatest speed and range of CAL FIRE’s airborne fleet.
Padilla, Newsom, the late Senator Dianne Feinstein, Representative Ken Calvert (R-Calif.-41), and Senator John Boozman (R-Ark.) spearheaded this initiative to expedite the transfer of sole ownership of these aircraft to California, speed up the timeline for these aircraft to fly firefighting operations in the state, and expand CAL FIRE’s firefighting capabilities.
“With the completed transfer of federal airtankers to CAL FIRE, we are equipping California’s firefighters with significantly expanded capabilities to protect our communities and save lives,” said Senator Padilla. “Since entering the Senate, I’ve made pushing the Air Force to complete this transfer a top priority, and I passed legislation to get it done as quickly as possible. Now, California will be able to respond to wildfires more quickly and effectively as we face drier conditions and increasingly devastating fires.”
“The climate crisis has made wildfires more destructive, and we need to match these threats with new resources. This aircraft will beef up CAL FIRE’s ability to hit fires earlier and harder, better protecting Californians. It’s part of our overall strategy that adds more boots on the ground and state-of-the-art technologies to CAL FIRE’s world-leading capabilities, along with our huge ramp up in forest management,” said Governor Newsom.
“California needs all of the support we can get in combatting wildfires and these aircraft will provide desperately needed assistance in protecting lives and property,” said Representative Calvert. “I have been working with Senator Padilla’s office to get these aircraft to California and know they will make a significant impact now that they are part of the CalFire fleet of air assets.”
“As wildfire frequency and severity increase across California, the introduction of this aircraft will undoubtedly play a crucial role in helping us achieve our initial attack goals, particularly in our efforts to keep 95% of fires at 10 acres or less,” said CAL FIRE Chief Joe Tyler.
The journey to bring large federal aircraft into service as CAL FIRE airtankers began in 2018 when Senator Feinstein enacted legislation enabling California to acquire seven C-130H aircraft from the United States Coast Guard. After years of delays due to contracting issues, in 2021, Padilla and Feinstein urged Acting Secretary of the Air Force John Roth to expedite the retrofit of the seven C-130s being transferred from the Coast Guard to California to use for fighting wildfires. Padilla subsequently secured an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2024 to expedite the transfer of aircraft. The NDAA passed the Senate and was signed into law by President Biden in December 2023, officially transferring ownership of the seven C-130H aircraft to California.
These new C-130s will be strategically located throughout the state at CAL FIRE bases to mobilize when needed, adding to the helicopters, other aircraft, and firefighters ready to protect Californians.
The United States Air Force and the United States Coast Guard played a crucial role in maintaining and modifying these aircraft, including the replacement of the inner and outer wing boxes and providing essential spare parts. Once at CAL FIRE’s Aviation Management Unit, the aircraft underwent significant further modifications, including the installation of a 4,000-gallon tank and a specialized retardant delivery system (RDS).
You can learn more about how California converted these aircraft to fight wildfires through this video overview.
A one-pager on the C-130H airtankers is available here.
B-roll footage of the C-130H’s first drop is available here.
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