Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce Business Journal and Other Publications Q4 2015 Business Journal | Page 16

MC-130 Mission:
Helping Our Neighbors
By: Halley Trembath, Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce Director of Development & Growth

It is not superman, it’s a plane!
C-130s, our Nation’s Hercules,
from the 153rd Airlift Wing are
home when they are in Cheyenne.
While most residents are aware
the 153rd Airlift Wing of the
Wyoming Air National Guard
deploys overseas and coordinates
missions beyond our community,
most people may not know that
the C-130s work to help our
neighbors stateside. Since 1970,
the Modular Airborne FireFighting
System (MAFFS) program has
been providing emergency
backup resources to combat

PG 16 l

Military Affairs

wildfires across the United States
when commercial air tankers
are unavailable or committed
elsewhere. According to the
U.S. Forest Service Fire
& Aviation Management
website, created by
Congress in response to
the devastating California
Laguna Fire in 1970, the
MAFFS program “is a
joint effort between the
U.S. Forest Service and
Department of Defense
(DoD). The U.S. Forest
Service owns the MAFFS

equipment and supplies the
retardant, while the DoD provides
the C-130 H and J model aircraft,
flight crews, and maintenance