MENDOCINO CO., 8/1/25 – California now has the world’s largest fleet of aerial firefighting equipment, Govenor Gavin Newsom said Friday.
The declaration comes as Cal Fire purchased two more Sikorsky S-70i Fire Hawk helicopters, bringing the state’s collection to 16.
The purchase is part of Cal Fire’s multi-year project to upgrade the state’s aerial firefighting tools. Now all the Vietnam-era Huey UH-1H helicopters that the state was using have been replaced by the state-of-the-art Fire Hawks, the Governor’s office said.
In a June interview with Cal Fire Humboldt Del Norte Unit chief Kurt McCray, one Fire Hawk costs as much as $22 million…