A C-130 and airmen with the 302nd Airlift Wing at Peterson AFB, Colo., took off on Wednesday to support firefighting efforts across the Western US. The Reserve aircrew and specially equipped C-130 responded to a request for assistance from the National Interagency Fire Center as wildfires burn in Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and California, according to an Air Force Reserve Command news release. The unit will soon be joined by another C-130 from the 153rd Airlift Wing of the Wyoming Air National Guard, the release states. This is the first activation of a Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System aircraft so far in 2016.
Earlier this spring, the 388th Fighter Wing proved just 12 Airmen can operate an F-35 contingency location, refueling and rearming the fighters at spots across Georgia and South Carolina. The demonstration, part of exercise Agile Flag 23-1, marks yet another proof of concept for the Air Force’s plan to send…