What's this on a C-130? [MAFFS wildfire fighting nozzle]

Feel free to discuss anything here - as long as it is C-130 related.
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by jq » 08 Mar 2015, 16:42

Hi guys,

Anyone know what this is? The caption says "discharge nozzle" but what does it do?

C-130 strange proteberance on fuselage.jpg


tx

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by JetTest » 08 Mar 2015, 21:15

Seeing what looks like a US Forest Service logo in the red band, probably an aerial fire fighting system.......just a guess.


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by Jon » 09 Mar 2015, 03:02

Absolutely fire fighting.


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by bobdaley » 09 Mar 2015, 14:49

It is the ejection nozzle for the MAFFS II fire fighting system (Modular Aerial Fire Fighting System)


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by magicdragon » 10 Mar 2015, 19:20

Bob beat me to it - MAFFS or Modular Airborne FireFighting System.

USAF Photos:


Air Force Reservists assigned to the 302nd Airlift Wing, PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colorado load a U.S. Forest Service Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System unit onto a C-130 Hercules here during the early morning hours June 24. The 302nd Airlift Wing has been tasked by the National Interagency Fire Center to support wildland aerial firefighting missions in the Rocky Mountain area. [USAF photo by Ann Skarban]


ANG, Air Force Reserve support aerial firefighting response

Air National Guard Master Sgts. Marshall Davis and Chris Reese prepare the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System unit inside their C-130 Hercules aircraft June 27, 2012 before launching to respond from Peterson AFB to the Waldo Canyon Fire in Colorado Springs, Colorado. MAFFS is a self-contained aerial firefighting system that can discharge 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant in less than five seconds, covering an area one-quarter of a mile long by 100 feet wide. Davis and Reese are C-130 Hercules loadmasters assigned to the 153rd Airlift Wing, which is based in Cheyenne, Wyoming. [USAF photo by Staff Sgt. Stephany D. Richards]


Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System-equipped C-130H #94-7319 from the 302nd Airlift Wing drops a load of water April 22 near Fairplay, Colorado. The Air Force Reserve Command’s 302nd AW held its annual MAFFS certification and re-certification for C-130 aircrews April 19-23. [USAF photo by Staff Sgt. Nathan Federico]


A Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System-equipped C-130 Hercules assigned to the Wyoming Air National Guard's 153rd Airlift Wing lays a line of fire retardant June 27 against the Waldo Canyon Fire near Colorado Springs. Four MAFFS-equipped aircraft, two from the 153rd AW and two from the AFRC's 302nd AW, flew in support of the U.S. Forest Service to fight the Colorado wildfire. [USAF photo by Staff Sgt. Stephany D. Richards]


AFRC C-130H #94-7318 loadmasters fire the Modular Airborne Firefighting System II unit April 22, 2012 during the 302nd Airlift Wing's annual MAFFS wet fire test at Peterson AFB, Colorado. The wing test fired the new "MAFFS II" system in preparation for the U.S. Forest Service's MAFFS certification week April 25-May 1 in Greenville, South Carolina. [USAF photo by Staff Sgt. Stephen J. Collier]


Flight line personnel prepare to insert a Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System unit into C-130H 93-1458 assigned to the 145th Airlift Wing, 156th Airlift Squadron, North Carolina ANG prior to its departure from Charlotte, N.C., June 23, 2008. [USAF photo by Tech. Sgt. Brian E. Christiansen]


C-130 equipped with a MAFFS system sprays retardant over the Black Crater Fire in Oregon. [USAF Photo]


Members of the Air Force Reserve's 39th Aerial Port Squadron help to load a modified C-130 Hercules paratroop door onto an aircraft Dec. 4 at Peterson AFB, Colorado. The wing, the only aerial firefighting organization in the AF Reserve, received its orders late Dec. 3 to ready approximately 50 personnel and two aircraft to deploy on short notice to help fight a more than 7,000 acre fire burning out of control near Israel's third-largest city, Haifa. [USAF photo by Staff Sgt. Stephen J. Collier]


From Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modular_Ai ... ing_System
The Modular Airborne FireFighting System or MAFFS is a self-contained unit used for aerial firefighting that can be loaded onto a C-130 Hercules, a military cargo transport, which then allows the aircraft to be used as an air tanker against wildfires.


The MAFFS consists of a series of five pressurized fire retardant tanks with a total capacity of 2,700 US gallons (10,000 l; 2,200 imp gal) and associated equipment which is palletized and carried in the aircraft's cargo bay.[2] In addition to the retardant tanks, 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 (5,000 kg). It can be installed in any C-130-E or -H equipped with the USAF 463L cargo-handling system


Aero Union, under contract to the USFS, has developed an improved version of the system, known as the MAFFS II. The new system has a capacity of up to 3,400 US gallons (13,000 l; 2,800 imp gal), replacing the five retardant tanks with one large tank, and has an on-board air compressor. The original MAFFS has to be pressurized by a compressor on the ground as a part of the loading process. The ability to pressurize the system in the air cuts turn-around time significantly.[6] The new system discharges the retardant through a special plug in the paratroop drop door on the side of the aircraft, rather than requiring the cargo ramp door to be opened; this allows the aircraft to remain pressurized during the drop sequence.[7] Far more significantly, the cargo ramp and door can remain closed, cutting drag considerably, and thereby allowing a greater performance margin than available with MAFFS I.


MAFFS equipment is stationed at eight locations around the country. They are considered a "24-hour resource", meaning that when activated, it is expected that it will take 24 hours for the aircraft to arrive on scene, as the C-130s have to be pulled from their regular military duties and fitted with the MAFFS equipmen


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by jq » 10 Mar 2015, 22:33

JetTest wrote:Seeing what looks like a US Forest Service logo in the red band, probably an aerial fire fighting system.......just a guess.


Thanks JetTest & Bob! Should've recognized that UFS logo (I guess my brain just wasn't expecting to see a UFS logo on an air force C-130!)

MagicDragon, cool shots, tx for posting!!


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by bobdaley » 11 Mar 2015, 16:24

Actually there are 7 units stationed at 4 bases. Charlotte,Peterson, Cheyenne and Channel Islands.
An eighth is being bought to replace the one lost by Charlotte.
Bob


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by magicdragon » 12 Mar 2015, 14:14

Thanks for the correction Bob. I forgot to account for the the tragic MAFFS 7 crash.

I also realized I posted a mix of orignal MAFFS and MAFFS II images.

Original MAFFS has 5 tanks in the fuselage and 2 nozzles mounted on the rear ramp, as in the photographs below:

5 Tanks (and 2 nozzles turned upwards for loading)

Flight line personnel prepare to insert a Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System unit into C-130H 93-1458 assigned to the 145th Airlift Wing, 156th Airlift Squadron, North Carolina ANG prior to its departure from Charlotte, N.C., June 23, 2008. [USAF photo by Tech. Sgt. Brian E. Christiansen]

Ramp open, 2 nozzles spraying

USAF C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft rigged with a Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) from the 146th Airlift Wing (AW), Channel Islands Air National Guard Station (ANGS), makes a Phoschek fire retardant drop on the Simi Fire in Southern California. [USAF Photo]


New MAFFS II has the single bigger tank, and single nozzle in the port paratrooper door.

A U.S. Forest Service Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System II (MAFFS II) unit is loaded on to an AFRC C-130H #94-7317 September 9, 2012 at Peterson AFB, Colorado. in preparation for support of aerial firefighting missions in Texas. Four Air Reserve Component MAFFS-equipped C-130s and crews have been tasked by U.S. Northern Command in support of the National Interagency Fire Center to supplement wildland firefighting efforts in Texas. Two C-130s from the 302nd Airlift Wing, stationed at Peterson AFB, Colorado. and two C-130s from the 145th Airlift Wing of the North Carolina ANG will deploy to Austin, Texas. [USAF Photo]


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