Equipped with airborne fire-fighting systems, C-130 Super Hercules planes are flying missions over the wildfires in Southern California that started earlier this month. California Air National ...

The Pentagon sent C-130 MAFFS-equipped aircraft to fight the LA fires. The water bombers drop nearly 14 tons of fire retardant in under five seconds.

California is the first state in the U.S. to own and operate firefighting C-130H aircraft. California is adding a fleet of repurposed C-130H military cargo planes to its firefighting fleet.

The C-130 got its start in the aftermath of the Korean War, with U.S. Air Force Tactical Air Command realizing the force lacked medium cargo transport aircraft.

Incredibly, the Lockheed Martin-produced aircraft is still in production, with the latest Rolls-Royce-powered C-130J variant accounting for 546 of 2,700 C-130s produced as of June 2024.

The aircraft is the first of seven being repurposed from military service to battle blazes statewide, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced last week. California is the first state in the U.S. to own and ...