PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. -- For Immediate Release
01/10/2025
PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. – The Air Force Reserve’s 302d Airlift Wing at Peterson Space Force Base, Colo., was activated by U.S. Northern Command on Jan 9, along with three other Air National Guard units to provide aerial firefighting support in Southern California.
The 302 AW’s C-130H aircraft equipped with the U.S. Forest Service-owned Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems (MAFFS) and associated wing personnel will depart from Peterson SFB on Saturday. They will be located and operate out of Channel Islands Air National Guard Station in Port Hueneme, Calif.
The 302 AW is the only Air Force Reserve unit assigned to this special mission. A MAFFS unit can discharge water or fire retardant - 3,000 gallons weighing 27,000 pounds - in less than five seconds. The retardant can cover an area one-quarter of a mile long and 100 feet wide. After the plane discharges its load, it can be refilled in less than 12 minutes back at the tanker base.
When requested by the National Interagency Fire Center and approved by the Secretary of Defense, the Department of Defense can provide unique wildland firefighting assets. As part of USNORTHCOM’s assigned Defense Support of Civil Authorities mission, these diverse mission assets are prepared to respond quickly and effectively to minimize human suffering, protect lives, property, critical infrastructure, and natural and cultural resources.
One Air Force Reserve and three Air National Guard locations participate in the MAFFS program. In addition to the 302nd Airlift Wing, the Air National Guard units supporting MAFFS include the 146 AW in Channel Islands, Air National Guard Base, California, the 152 AW based in Reno, Nevada, and the 153 AW based at Cheyenne, Wyoming. Each flying unit stores and is ready to activate two of the MAFFS units for a total of eight nationwide.
The 302 AW’s primary mission is to provide world-class airlift and combat support with approximately 1,400 premier Citizen Airmen who are committed and ready.
Media representatives desiring to attend should contact the 302d Airlift Wing Public Affairs, (719) 556-4117, by 4 p.m. today, 10 Jan. for registration and further information.
For more information on the web: http://www.nifc.gov; http://www.northcom.mil; https://www.302aw.afrc.af.mil/.
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