Modular Airborne FireFighting System (MAFFS)

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MAFFS is a self-contained reusable 3000-gallon aerial fluid dispersal system that allows Lockheed C-130 cargo/utility aircraft to be converted to wildland firefighting airtankers. The system has been used in the U.S., Europe, Africa, and Indonesia. The system is pneumatically powered and includes tank modules, a control module, and a dissemination module. Electrical power is provided by the aircraft or by a 24-volt battery on the control module.

The MAFFS use is a joint program with the Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve, and the U.S. Forest Service. The system was developed for installation in a Lockheed C-130 Hercules plane equipped with the USAF 463L cargo-handling system. Personnel using MAFFS can make variable drops over the fire, with flow rate preselected at the control module. At maximum flow rate, a MAFFS-equipped C-130 can discharge its entire load in under five seconds. Unlike a gravity system in which the aircraft's center of gravity moves aft as the retardant flows to the rear to exit, MAFFS discharges the retardant alternately from a series of tanks to keep the center of gravity within limits. MAFFS-equipped tankers can be re-loaded and flight-ready in less than eight minutes.

The objective of the MAFFS program is to provide emergency capability to supplement the existing commercial airtanker support on wildfires. The National Interagency Coordination Center at Boise can activate the MAFFS when all other contract airtankers are committed to incidents or initial attack or are otherwise unable to meet requests for air operations. The request for MAFFS activation is approved by the national MAFFS liaison officer, who is the Forest Service director at NIFC. This request is then forwarded to the Joint director of military support at the Pentagon. Governors of states where National Guard MAFFS units are stationed may activate MAFFS for missions within their state boundaries when covered by a memorandum of understanding with the military authority and the Forest Service.

In 1970, a number of catastrophic forest fires burned across Southern California, overwhelming the airtanker fleet's ability to respond. Congress requested that the USAF assist the Forest Service by making military aircraft available as a back-up measure -- which prompted the development of MAFFS. The system was originally designed and developed by the Food Machinery Corporation of California; since 1974, strategically located USAF Reserve and Air National Guard units have been equipped with MAFFS units produced by Aero Union.

Five tank modules store the retardant under pressure; each module contains a pressure tank where compressed air is stored at 1200 psi. The control module includes the master control panel, the loadmaster's seat, and discharge valves. An air compressor module provides air pressure for charging the system; it stays at the airtanker base during air operations and is used to recharge the system between runs. Each unit weighs about 11,000 pounds, with a load capacity of 3000 gallons.

The units are loaded with either water or retardant -- a chemical that inhibits the combustion potential of vegetation on the ground. The retardant contains a fertilizer, and promotes regrowth over the burned area. While water is sometimes dropped directly on a fire, retardant is laid out ahead of the fire or at its edges to inhibit or retard the fire's spread. This allows firefighters on the ground to rapidly take advantage of the retardant effect, which helps in line-building efforts. Its bright red or fuchsia color helps airtanker pilots observe the accuracy of their retardant drops on the edge of the fire.

When the MAFFS units are activated, the assigned MAFFS Liaison Officer (MLO) establishes a loading facility near the fire for incoming tankers. Many variables affect the air drops -- including drop height, terrain, wind, fuels, and fire behavior -- so the Forest Service has developed various "drop patterns" for the pilot to use during air operations.

In accordance with military requirements for initial qualification and recurrent training, MAFFS crews are trained every year with Forest Service national aviation operations personnel. The U.S. Forest Service coordinates the training with the USAF Reserve's 302nd Airlift Wing at Colorado's Peterson Air Force Base, the Air National Guard's 173rd Airlift Wing from Cheyenne, Wyoming, the 146th Airlift Wing from Port Hueneme, California, and the 145th Airlift Wing from Charlotte, North Carolina.

In addition to supporting civil operations on wildland fire emergencies in the U.S., MAFFS units may be deployed worldwide.