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Another busy day for these crews
MAFFS3 4 8 and 9 USAF C-130 Hercules doing fire drops in Northern California over the Dixie Fire
The Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System, or MAFFS, Program provides emergency capability to supplement existing commercial tanker support on wildland fires. MAFFS aids the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service. When all other air tankers are activated but further assistance is needed, the Forest Service can request help from the Air Force's MAFFS units. MAFFS is a mission that highlights interagency cooperation. MAFFS units fit inside C-130 airplanes without requiring structural modification. This allows the units to be loaded on short notice. It takes about two hours to load a MAFFS unit onto the C-130. The C-130s drop retardant from an altitude of about 150 feet through a discharge tube located in place of the left rear paratroop door of the aircraft. A MAFFS unit can discharge its load 3,000 gallons weighing 28,000 pounds in less than five seconds. The retardant covers an area one-quarter of a mile long and 60 feet wide. After the plane discharges its load, and returns to an air tanker base, it can be refilled and airborne again in less than 20 minutes.
MAFFS units can drop either water or retardant called "slurry." Slurry is made of 80 to 85 percent water, 10 to 15 percent ammonium sulfate, a jelling agent and red coloring. The red in the retardant helps pilots see where they have dropped previous loads. Along with retarding the fire, the slurry acts as a fertilizer. Because the MAFFS discharges the agent in a mist, slurry does not cause damage to buildings.
https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104558/modular-airborne-fire-fighting-system/
Cap#2
https://ucanr.edu/sites/fire/Safety/Current/