The Wyoming National Guard Base in Cheyenne has been chosen to host the biggest high-tech air tanker made by the Lockheed Martin Corp. — the C-130J.
Starting in 2028, the base will be home to eight of the C-130J tankers, which is being touted as a double win for Wyoming, both for the future of the military base and fighting wildfires around the region.
The Department of the Air Force announced on Friday that Cheyenne will be the next location to host the C-130J. The Wyoming National Guard Base already is home to a fleet of older, aging C-130H tankers.
The newer air tanker not only climbs faster and higher than the C-130H, but it also has more precision when it comes to dropping payloads down on wildfires below. The units are used by the National Forest Service as surge capacity for aerial firefighting efforts.
Extra precision and more firefighting capacity are words bound to put a smile on any Wyoming firefighter’s face, especially after last year when almost 1 million acres burned up in various wildfires across the state.
That was certainly the case for Campbell County Deputy Fire Chief J.R. Fox, who hadn’t heard until a call from Cowboy State Daily on Monday that faster, higher-tech air tankers are on the way.
“Any time that we can add capacity to the system, that means a lot to the folks on the ground,” Fox said. “And especially with the upgrade that they’re doing to the MAFFS units, and the pilots and the crews who have undergone the training, they’re an important asset to what we’re able to do out there.”
MAFFS stands for Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System units and refers to the specialized training required to help fight wildfires from the air.
“There’s only a handful of MAFFS units across the country, and Wyoming has one of them,” Fox said. “And when you get the crews who do it year after year, there’s a certain safety factor to that. There’s also just an overall capacity to the system that really brings value to Wyoming and surrounding states.”
Huge Wildfires Strain Aerial Firefighting Capacity
Campbell County had just over 120,000 acres of land burn up last year in wildfires, and Fox said the aerial component of the firefight was crucial to bringing things under control. But it was also hard to get at times.
“We had large air tankers coming out of Casper, South Dakota and Billings — wherever we could get them,” he said. “And ideally using retardants, which is what we call the pink stuff that comes out of the bottom, the strategy is to slow the fire down so you can follow up with ground resources.”
That buys time for all the dozers, hand crews, and fire trucks to get out ahead of the fire.
“It’s also effective sometimes for structure protection and stuff like that,” Fox said. “In and of itself, it’s not going to put the fire out. It’s just going to buy you some time to follow up with ground resources.”
New Process Will One Day Let Wyoming Governor Activate Unit
Wyoming’s Air National Guard was on standby for the Elk Fire in the Sheridan area, though, ultimately, weren’t called up for that particular fire.
But it’s absolutely something that could happen in the future, according to Wyoming Air National Guard Lt. Col. Chris Valine. He is the MAFFS program manager in Wyoming.
“This is still the same system that goes in the back of the airplane,” he said. “So, it’s the same tank capacity, but this is an upgraded model.”
Among the upgrades, the crew complement requires two fewer people, making it a more efficient unit. That’s key for the future of the Air National Guard base in Wyoming, Valine agreed, and does bring a welcome sense of job security for personnel at the base.
“We’re going to get some extra funds to now train our people on the new aircraft,” he said. “And that’s not just on the air crew side, but it’s maintenance. All of our maintainers will have to kind of re-learn how to work on these newer aircraft.”
Typically, the Air National Guard’s firefighting unit in Wyoming has been solely directed by the U.S. Forest Service and hasn’t responded to fires within Wyoming. But that could change in the near future, Valine said, with the unit working on a process that will allow Wyoming’s governor to activate the unit in the future.
“There are a lot of federal and state handshakes and agreements that have to be put into place that aren’t there yet,” he said.
Economic Development Also Key
Acquiring the new aircraft has been a decade long effort, according to Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce CEO/President Dale Steenbergen, who said the Wyoming Air National Guard pumps $350 million into southeast Wyoming’s economy.
“For us to have that mission moving forward into the future, we needed to move into the J models,” Steenbergen told Cowboy State daily. “The active-duty Air Force doesn’t fly H models anymore, so that was going to be a real challenge of us having an airframe into the future, and we were limited on what missions we could accomplish because of that.”
Steenbergen credited Wyoming’s Congressional delegation for its help in winning the eight new C-130J air tankers for Wyoming.
“Every military decision is really a political decision,” he said. “So, you have to get those things funded and keep it rolling in the National Defense Authorization Act.”
Congressional Delegation Weighs In
Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis and Rep. Harriet Hageman sent out a joint release praising the Trump administration’s selection of the Wyoming National Guard base as a new home for the C-130J, saying it will be the new and final home for the C-130J’s Main Operating Base (MOB) 11.
“(This) is one of the best tools we have to quickly and efficiently suppress wildfires at home, and support airlift operations around the globe,” Barrasso said. “With the ongoing threat of wildfires across the Rocky Mountain West having access to these planes in Wyoming is more critical than ever.”
Lummis said it’s a transformative moment for Wyoming’s military presence and its overall contribution to national security.
“The arrival of these cutting-edge aircrafts will significantly enhance our Air National Guard’s compatibilities while securing high-skilled jobs and economic activity in our community for decades to come. I am grateful to the Trump administration for recognizing Wyoming’s strategic importance and the exceptional readiness of our Guard members to operate this advanced fleet.”
Building on the state’s existing military hub positions the state well for the future, Hageman added, and is a major win for the state.
“I’m grateful to President Trump for securing this investment in our state’s future, our service members, and our ability to respond to both foreign threats and domestic emergencies,” she sadi.
Wyoming beat out three other states for the latest round of C-130Js. The other sites under consideration were the New Castle Air National Guard Base in Delaware, the Nevada Air National Guard Base at Reno-
Tahoe, and the Rosecrans Air National Guard Base in Missouri.
Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.
