Via Sindag
After recent fires in Brazil, the South American country assisted Colombia using Brazil’s Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS II) through cooperation with the Brazilian Air Force (FAB). The deployment is part of the country’s support for its Amazonian neighbor to face fires that have devastated 44,500 acres of Colombian forests since November. The equipment was transported from Anápolis Air Base in Goiás to Galeão Air Base in Rio de Janeiro by a FAB Embraer KC-390 Millenium aircraft.
In Rio, the equipment was installed on a Lockheed C-130 Hercules from the Colombian Air Force (FAC). The MAFFS II system has the capacity to carry over 3,000 gallons (12,000 liters) of water or retardant and projects a flame-retardant charge through the side door in the fuselage – allowing the interior of the aircraft to be kept pressurized without compromising its performance. The system had already been used in Brazil against fires in the Amazon, and the FAB was also used in 2023 during wildfires in Chile.
Furthermore, the Colombian government hopes to be able to count on three Air Tractor AT-802 agricultural aircraft from the National Police in the coming days. These aircraft are used primarily for applications against illegal coca crops and are now used to fight fires. The Peruvian government also sent a firefighting system to the neighboring country to be installed in another FAC Hercules.
The wildfires have also sparked interest from politicians in the Colombian National Congress. Where the debate is continuing regarding the accusation that 40% of FAC aircraft are currently out of service, leaving many of the country’s firefighters and rescuers in the lurch – unable to reach the fire sites to assist.
