California deploys first C-130 Hercules made to fight wildfires

It's the archetypal of 7 the authorities is retrofitting and deploying.

SACRAMENTO -- A monolithic C-130 Hercules craft was precocious added to CAL FIRE's firefighting fleet and it's already being used.

California is the archetypal authorities successful the state to own, operate, and deploy a C-130H to combat wildfires, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom's office.

The C-130H began flying its archetypal missions connected Monday. It's the archetypal of 7 the authorities is retrofitting and deploying.

"The clime situation has made wildfires much destructive, and we request to lucifer these threats with caller resources," said Newsom successful a statement. "This craft volition beef up CAL FIRE's quality to deed fires earlier and harder, amended protecting Californians. It's portion of our wide strategy that adds much boots connected the crushed and state-of-the-art technologies to CAL FIRE's world-leading capabilities, on with our immense ramp up successful wood management."

Capable of flying 800 miles with a payload of 4,000 gallons of semipermanent occurrence retardant, the C-130H present has the top velocity and scope of CAL FIRE's fleet.

In 2018, the authorities got support to get 7 from the Coast Guard. Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) successful 2023, allowing the transportation of craft from the national authorities to California,

"As wildfire frequence and severity summation crossed California, the instauration of this craft volition undoubtedly play a important relation successful helping america execute our archetypal onslaught goals, peculiarly successful our efforts to support 95% of fires astatine 10 acres oregon less," said CAL FIRE Chief Joe Tyler.

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