2 weeks Ago By Sacramento Bee
Tanker 122, ’s first operational C-130H, was on full display Thursday at Cal Fire’s aviation headquarters at McClellan Airport. The aircraft is one of seven that the department received from the U.S.
Coast Guard. With the ability to carry 4,000 gallons of fire retardant, It will be used as an initial attack aircraft to fight wildfires. It joins other fixed-wing aircraft in the department’s fleet that started in military service, including the air tactical aircraft, first used for close air support to ground forces and counterinsurgency by the U.
S. Navy, and the which was originally used for carrier-based anti-submarine warfare. The S-2T carries 1,200 gallons of fire retardant, much less than the C-130H.
“We get to take these aircraft that still have a lot of usefulness and utility left in them,” said Stu Sprung, Cal Fire’s chief of flight operations. “We strip them down to the rivets and the bare metal and build them back up to almost new aircraft.”.
