California adds seven C-130 airtankers to state firefighting fleet

California officials on stage at McClellan Park announced that the state has taken possession of seven C-130 Hercules aircraft transferred from the federal government and is expanding its aerial firefighting fleet, with the first aircraft, Tanker 122, already in service.

The move, CAL FIRE Director and Fire Chief Joe Tyler said, follows federal-to-state transfers authorized in the 2019 and 2024 National Defense Authorization Acts and a multi‑year effort to retrofit the aircraft for fire retardant delivery. "It is an honor to be here today to talk about the expansion of CAL FIRE's aviation firefighting fleet," Tyler said, adding that the state retrofitted several aircraft and placed Tanker 122 into service last year.

The expansion matters because California faces year‑round wildfire risk, state officials said. Tina Curry, chief deputy director of operations at the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), described new detection and forecasting tools that work with the expanded air fleet. "The fire integrated real time intelligence system, what we call FIRIS, is sensor based aircraft that's available…