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SACRAMENTO – With peak fire season on the horizon, Governor Gavin Newsom on April 24 announced the state’s second C-130 Hercules (C-130H) airtanker is now ready for firefighting operations. This strengthens California’s ability to protect communities from catastrophic wildfire, adding to the largest aerial firefighting fleet in the world.
Last year, California became the first state in the nation to own, operate, and deploy a C-130H airtanker for wildfire suppression. The first C-130H was a critical part of the state’s firefight in Los Angeles earlier this year. Since it went into operation, the tanker has flown 90 missions responding to 36 fires and dropping 253,702 gallons of retardant.
Tanker 121, a former United States Coast Guard aircraft, has been officially placed into CAL FIRE service today after undergoing precise and critical modifications. This is the second of seven planned C-130H airtankers, and is a mission-critical asset in an era of increased year-round wildfire frequency and intensity.
These large-capacity, highly specialized aircraft deliver significant volumes of fire retardant in a single mission, enhancing CAL FIRE’s ability to protect communities and natural resources.
Governor Newsom — in partnership with U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, the late U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, and Representative Ken Calvert — spearheaded this initiative for California to take on ownership of these aircraft, speed up the time to have them flying firefighting operations in California, and expand CAL FIRE’s firefighting capabilities.
At a hangar in Sacramento, the Governor joined CAL FIRE Chief Joe Tyler, firefighting personnel, and those who helped make the C-130H possible to celebrate the milestone.
(Photo Source:The Governor Office Newsroom)