Warfighters VS Wildfires

AFM‘s regular columnist Alan Warnes visits California to witness US Air Force rapid response and lifesaving support for the US Forest Service and CAL FIRE as they conduct vital aerial firefighting operations.

Intel Report

A C-130J Hercules, assigned to the 146th Airlift Wing at Channel Islands Air National Guard Base in Port Hueneme in California, drops fire retardant near Santa Barbara, California, in December 2017 during the Thomas wildfire. USAF/J M Eddins Jr

Last year was the worst fire season on record in the United States. During October and December 2017 in particular, air tankers were seen almost daily dropping retardant on blazing land in California.

Defence technologies are increasingly being transferred to the firefighting community, including the full-motion video (FMV) that can be provided by remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) such as the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper.

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