Owing to the large amount of Wildfires that routinely burn across Califia’s more forested regions, in 1974 an unconventional unit was proposed. While on paper, the 144th Airlift Squadron is not unlike any other C-130 unit within the Osean Air Defense Force, where the ‘Fire Eaters’ earned their name in their unconventional mission. Instead of the standard gray adorning most Osean cargo aircraft, the Fire Eaters C-130H’s are bright white and red, and their primary mission is that of Aerial firefighting.
Partnering initially with civilian water bomber organizations, the 144th would learn the Air Attack mission to support firefighters on the ground battling the blazes. Capable of holding 3000 gallons of flame retardant, the C-130 with the Modular Airborne FireFighting System (MAFFS) proved a valuable resource almost immediately with the 1976 Los Palmas fire, that had overwhelmed local resources until the Califia Air National Guard was activated and aided in containing the blaze.
![Ace Combat - 144th Airlift Squadron "Fire Eaters" Califia Air National Guard C-130H [OUTDATED]](/upload/userfiles/5e7/f0ato9wjfbrawsn7tycs5dufovj1s4vi/Fireeaters.jpg "Ace Combat - 144th Airlift Squadron \"Fire Eaters\" Califia Air National Guard C-130H [OUTDATED]")
