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Apr 24, 2025

Ahead of peak fire season, California adds second C-130 airtanker to world's largest aerial firefighting fleet

What you need to know: California's second C-130 Hercules airtanker is ready for firefighting operations, adding to the state's arsenal that stands ready to protect communities from catastrophic wildfire.

SACRAMENTO – With peak fire season on the horizon, Governor Gavin Newsom today 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.

The largest aerial firefighting force in the world is getting even bigger. Thanks to our champions in Congress – Senator Padilla, Representative Calvert, and the late, great Senator Feinstein – California's second C-130 airtanker is ready to take flight, just in time ahead of peak fire season.

Governor Gavin Newsom

Today, the Governor also received a demonstration of CAL FIRE's new C-130H simulator – the only one of its kind in the nation owned by a fire department. The simulator helps train pilots and engineers specifically for C-130 firefighting missions.

The journey to integrate the C-130H aircraft into CAL FIRE's fleet began in 2018 when California secured approval to acquire seven of these aircraft from the Coast Guard. President Joe Biden signed legislation in late 2023, officially transferring ownership of the seven C-130H aircraft to the state, where CAL FIRE would complete the work of retrofitting the aircraft for wildfire suppression operations.

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"The completed transfer of federal C-130 airtankers to CAL FIRE is equipping California's firefighters with significantly expanded capabilities to protect vulnerable communities from wildfires and save lives," said Senator Padilla. "Pushing the Air Force to complete this transfer has been a top priority of mine since I joined the Senate, which is why I worked to pass legislation to get it done as quickly as possible. As we saw with the first retrofitted aircraft fighting the Los Angeles fires, these powerful planes will enable California to respond to wildfires more quickly and effectively as we face more extreme conditions and increasingly devastating disasters."

"The C-130 Hercules aircraft that have been transferred from the federal government to CAL FIRE are game changing additions to our wildfire response aviation arsenal," said Representative Calvert. "Our bipartisan efforts to secure the C-130s are an important step in better protecting Californians from dangerous wildfires. I look forward to all seven of the C-130s being operational and deployed across California in the near future."

CAL FIRE's C-130 program involved substantial contributions from multiple partners. The United States Air Force and the United States Coast Guard provided support in maintaining these aircraft, including the replacement of inner and outer wing boxes and essential spare parts. Following their arrival at CAL FIRE Aviation Headquarters, the aircraft underwent extensive modifications, including the installation of a 4,000-gallon tank and a sophisticated retardant delivery system (RDS).

"Placing the second C-130H airtanker into service is another milestone in ensuring Californians are protected from the growing threat of wildfire," said CAL FIRE Director and Fire Chief Joe Tyler. "This addition strengthens our aerial firefighting capabilities and demonstrates our continued commitment to safeguarding lives, property, and natural resources across the state."

Building on unprecedented progress

Even before this, California had built up the largest aerial firefighting fleet in the world, including the recently added – and night-time capable – firefighting Fire Hawk helicopters. These new C-130Hs 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. This follows California's leadership in utilizing innovation and technology to fight fires smarter, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), satellites, and more for wildfire detection, projection, and suppression.

In addition to nearly doubling the state's budget for CAL FIRE in recent years, the state has also dramatically increased work to prevent wildfire. While 57% of California's forests are federally managed, the state government manages only 3% of the forestland. On state land, more than 2,200 projects are complete or underway, and in recent years, California has treated nearly 2 million acres – made possible by scaling up investments to 10 times the amount from when the Governor took office in 2019.

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