The Air Force Reserve’s 302nd Airlift Wing (AW), based at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado, provided aerial firefighting support against fires in the state in August 2025. The 302nd AW’s C-130H Hercules aircraft are equipped with the U.S. Forest Service-owned Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems (MAFFS), which are refilled with fire retardant at the Colorado Springs Airtanker Base, just outside the Colorado Springs Airport, south of the base.
At the request of the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise, Idaho, the 302nd AW launched a MAFFS-equipped C-130 on August 9, with five drops totaling 55,157 liters of retardant on the Lee fire north of Rifle, Colorado. On August 10, the 302nd launched on the Oak fire west of Pagosa Springs, Colorado, with one drop totaling 10,482 liters of retardant, a news release from U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) said. As of August 25, the Lee fire had consumed about 557 square kilometers, the Denver Post reported.
In addition to the 302nd AW’s C-130H Hercules aircraft, another C-130 Hercules from the 152nd AW, Nevada Air National Guard, also has been refilling its fire retardant at the Colorado Springs Airtanker Base as part of the firefighting mission. Two other Air National Guard units support MAFFS: the 146th AW in Channel Islands, Air National Guard Base, California, and the 153rd AW in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
A MAFFS unit can launch a barrage of fire retardant or water — 11,356 liters weighing 12,247 kilograms — in less than five seconds. The retardant can blanket an area 400 meters long and 30 meters wide. The plane’s MAFFS can be refilled in less than 12 minutes at the tanker base.
When requested by the NIFC and approved by the secretary of defense, the U.S. Department of Defense can supply unique firefighting assets. As part of USNORTHCOM’s Defense Support of Civil Authorities mission, these diverse assets are ready to respond quickly and effectively. The 302nd AW’s primary mission is to provide world-class airlift and combat support with about 1,400 Reserve Airmen.
The Colorado Springs Airtanker Base, run by the U.S. Forest Service, supports firefighting missions within a 643-kilometer radius, U.S. Forest Service Regional Fire Aviation and Fuels Communications Specialist Laura McConnell told KKTV in Colorado Springs. “It’s great to have a base of this size and capacity in our region to not only support our state of Colorado but the surrounding states as well, other regions as well,” McConnell told KKTV. The facility can accommodate air tankers of various sizes and has the capacity to deliver up to 324,000 liters of retardant per hour within that area.
Following its support against the Colorado fires, one of the 302nd AW’s MAFFS-equipped C-130s repositioned to Boise on August 25 to continue fighting wildfires in other western states under the direction of NIFC, according to a USNORTHCOM press release.