It's a bird. It's a plane. It's Cal Fire's C-130 Hercules, a new airtanker to battle wildfires

A new aircraft boasting the fastest speed and range of its peers joins Cal Fire’s fleet to fight wildfires.

The C-130 Hercules, once part of the U.S. Coast Guard’s fleet, is the first of seven aircraft California is retrofitting and deploying to fight wildfires, according to a news release on Monday.

The state made history as the first in America to own, operate, and deploy a C-130 Hercules air tanker.

These aircraft were previously used for search and rescue and cargo hauling, said Tom Firth, tactical air operations division chief, in a video about the C-130H .

The introduction of these aircraft comes as eight fires over 1,000 acres currently engulf parts of California, according to the Los Angeles Times’ wildfire map . That includes the Park Fire, the state’s fourth-largest wildfire in history, burning 429,603 acres in Northern California, the Record Searchlight reported. It was 82% contained as of Monday morning.

Efforts to introduce these aircraft to Cal Fire’s fleet began in 2018 when the state was approved to acquire seven from the Coast Guard. Last year, the National Defense Authorization Act was passed, allowing aircraft transfer from the government to California.

“As wildfire frequency and severity increase across California, the introduction of this aircraft will undoubtedly play a crucial role in helping us achieve our initial attack goals, particularly in our efforts to keep 95% of fires at 10 acres or less,” Cal Fire Chief Joe Tyler said in the news release.

How does the C-130H compare to Cal Fire’s fleet?

The C-130H can fly 800 miles and hold 4,000 gallons of fire retardant. The S-2T air tanker’s payload is 1,200 gallons of retardant in comparison, according to a Cal Fire fact sheet .

The aircraft, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, will carry a three-person crew consisting of a pilot, co-pilot and flight engineer.

The aircraft’s speed, a maximum of 368 miles per hour, and range is the greatest in Cal Fire’s airborne fleet, according to the news release.

The C-130H aircraft will be located at the Ramona, Paso Robles, Fresno, McClellan, and Chico tanker bases and will be used “for rapid initial attack delivery of fire retardant on wildland fires," according to a Cal Fire fact sheet .

Paris Barraza is a trending reporter covering California news at The Desert Sun. Reach her at pbarraza@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @ParisBarraza.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: It's a bird. It's a plane. It's Cal Fire's C-130 Hercules, a new airtanker to battle wildfires