4 airlifters help tame massive Mexican wildfires Published May 6, 2011 By Wayne Crenshaw 78th Air Base Wing Public Affairs ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- The venerable C-130 performs a wide array of missions, but one of its lesser known uses is fighting wildfires. The aircraft, for which Robins does heavy maintenance and life cycle management, has been busy in recent days fighting wildfires in Mexico, just over the Texas border. The firefighting C-130s use the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System, or MAFFS, which can be taken on and off the aircraft as needed, said Karl Biermacher, engineering supervisor in the Aerospace Sustainment Directorate's C-130 section. Robins' role with MAFFS is to ensure the airworthiness of the system, he said. The systems are taken off the planes before coming here for maintenance. There are only eight MAFF systems in use at four units around the country. Those are the 302nd Airlift Wing at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., the Air National Guard's 153rd Airlift Wing at Cheyenne, Wyo., the 46th Airlift Wing from Naval Air Station Point Mugu, Calif., and the 145th Airlift Wing from Charlotte Air National Guard Base, N.C. C-130s flying the firefighting missions fly military missions, but are pulled away and fitted with MAFFS if needed. Each MAFFS aircraft can drop up to 3,000 gallons of suppressant or fire retardant on each sortie. At the request of the Mexican government and U.S. State Department, U.S. Northern Command has deployed two C-130s to assist Mexico's efforts against the wildfires which have burned more than 245,000 acres. The C-130s are from the 302nd Airlift Wing, and are under the command and control of U.S. Northern Command during the operation. Aircraft from the 145th AW and the 153rd AW also participated but returned after the arrival April 26 of the C-130s from the 302nd. Since April 17 the aircraft have flown 44 missions and dropped 132,000 gallons of fire retardant.