T he Cal Fire C-130 is a flying fortress of firefighting power. The converted US Coast Guard cargo plane is loaded with 36,000 pounds of flame retardant or water, to put out fast moving flames.

Video: New Cal Fire C-130 tanker unleashed on the Record Fire in its inaugural mission By David Caraccio. Updated September 3, 2024 1:17 PM.

Cal Fire, California's lead state firefighting agency, on Thursday April 24, 2025 unveiled a new C-130 tanker plane, shown here in April at McClellan Airtanker Base near Sacramento, that it ...

Capability and Mission. The C-130H is certainly the largest aircraft in CAL FIRE’s air fleet and with that added size comes a larger capacity for retardant, increased range and operational time.

Aircraft drops 8,000 gallons of fire retardant on Southern California fire. Video: New Cal Fire C-130 tanker unleashed on the Record Fire in its inaugural mission Skip to main content ...

California is the first state to own, operate and deploy a C-130 air tanker to fight wildfires.Governor Gavin Newsom’s office said the first C-130 was ready to start flying missions on Monday.

Cal Fire is preparing for a challenging wildfire season in Northern California, deploying resources including a second retrofitted C-130 Hercules air tanker. Meteorologists are predicting hotter ...

Cal Fire C-130 equipped with 36,000 lbs of flame retardant is on standby in LA. Tackling high winds and coordinating efforts, it's key in combating flare-ups. Skip Navigation ...

In Cal Fire’s huge undertaking to customize the 1985-built aircraft, the C-130Hs gained “center wing boxes” that serve as stabilizers for their elongated, 133-foot span.

A new video shows the first fully operational C-130H delivering 8,000 gallons of retardant on the Record Fire in Riverside County, marking its inaugural firefighting mission over the weekend ...