California Completes Transition To New Fire Hawk Helicopters
Sacramento, CA — CAL Fire has completed the final leg of a multi-year initiative, adding the final two of 16 new specialty helicopters to its fleet.
California now has the largest civilian helicopter fighting fleet in the world, according to Governor Gavin Newsom. The final two Sikorsky S-70i Fire Hawk helicopters have arrived at McClellan Airfield in Sacramento. The first ones, after being overhauled for state firefighting needs, began arriving in 2020.
CAL Fire officials relay that it completes a multi-year transition that significantly upgrades the department’s aerial firefighting capabilities. This year marks the full conversion of all ten CAL FIRE Helitack bases from the Vietnam-era Huey UH-1H helicopters to the state-of-the-art Fire Hawk.
Newsom says, “Our fleet of Fire Hawk helicopters – now the largest in the world – is a proven tool in our growing firefighting arsenal. During the devastating Los Angeles fires, we saw them in action, conducting critical missions at night, which stopped the Palisades Fire from dipping into Mandeville Canyon and toward the 405 freeway. Hundreds of homes were saved because of these state-of-the-art helicopters and their heroic pilots.”
CAL Fire started utilizing helicopters in the 1960s. In the 1980s, CAL FIRE upgraded its fleet with the Bell Huey, and for over four decades, the Huey has been the workhorse of the CAL FIRE Helitack program.
“The completion of our S-70i Fire Hawk fleet and the transition of all Helitack bases is thanks to the dedication of the entire CAL FIRE aviation program,” said CAL FIRE Chief and Director Joe Tyler. “This is about equipping our firefighters with the most advanced tools available to respond to the increasing complexities of wildland fires.”
Newsom noted that some of the older Huey helicopters will now go to other agencies, such as the Forest Service.
