The first C-130H was put into service at McClellan Air Base on Monday, and today media got an up close look at the newest addition to CAL FIRE’s Aviation fleet.
First impression, it’s a BIG plane. The tech specs alone are impressive:
Gross Weight: 155,000 pounds
Max. Operating Speed: 368 mph
Range: Loaded: 800 miles
Empty: 3,000 miles
Endurance: 8 hours
Wingspan: 133 feet
Engines: Four Allison T56-A-15 turboprops; producing 4,300 horsepower each
To give you an idea about the wingspan:
Despite its size, the C-130H will be used in initial attack operations throughout the state once the full fleet comes online. Tanker 122 is based at McClellan where CAL FIRE’s Aviation headquarters are.
The tanker carries 4,000 gallons of retardant, compared to the max. 1,200 gallons S-2 tankers (like Tankers 88 and 89 out of Grass Valley) carry. The planes themselves are not new, the seven aircraft California acquired were in service with the U.S. Coast Guard since 1985.
CAL FIRE’s aviation mechanics modified the plane to carry the 4,000 gallon tank and a gravity-fed release mechanism allows to adjust the coverage level (the amount of retardant released) dependending on the type of vegetation fire, i.e. grass, brush or timber fire.
The tanker requires a crew of three, pilot, co-pilot and flight engineer. Thanks to the four turboprops, the tanker can reach fires fast and assist local firefighters. CAL FIRE’s stated goal is to keep fires under 10 acres and in 95% of all starts, that goal is achieved.
The next two planes are undergoing retrofitting in CAL FIRE’s hangars and will be operational by summer of 2025. CAL FIRE’s fleet of more than 60 fixed and rotary wing aircraft make it the largest civil aerial firefighting fleet in the world.