RAMONA, Calif. — The Hercules HC130 has only been in service for a few days and already it’s been at the forefront of saving lives and property.

Just yesterday in the Sorrento Fire, this behemoth was surgically laying down Phos-Check Fire retardant, gumming up the fire’s advance, and the Hercules is staying right here in our own backyard.

“One hundred percent unequivocally a force multiplier for our air assets here in San Diego County,” said Byan Baker, a Hercules Training Capt. For Cal Fire.

S2 fixed-wing fire planes drop 1000 gallons of water at a time… “You press this button, and 4,000 gallons of Phos-Check paints the hillside.”

The Hercules’ secret weapon is its time-to-fire, with a max speed of roughly 380 mph; this monster aircraft can get to any part of San Diego County in about 20 minutes.

“When we get a report of a vegetation fire, this thing will get started, dispatch to that fire and get out ahead of those engines,” said Oscar Sotelo, a Capt. From Cal Fire.

Cal Fire says that, through President Biden’s Defense Production Act, seven of these C130’s were given to Cal Fire from the Coast Guard at zero cost but were then modified to carry flame retardant.

A new Cal Fire Hawk has also been added to the air attack fleet, building out the department, which is already the world’s largest firefighting force.

“The public can feel at ease knowing we have something this big in our back pocket,” said Capt. Sotelo

“Maneuverability, the speed at which it responds, the effectiveness of this particular delivery system, and the fuel type and the fuel models we have in San Diego County, it’s going to be an absolute game changer,” said Capt. Baker.

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