DELAWARE AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Del. -- If you’ve been keeping an eye on the KILG airfield, you may notice something impressive – Station 33’s new beast of a crash truck – a spanking brand-new Rosenbauer Panther.
It weighs in at an impressive 77,000 lbs., nearly half that of a C-130H2 aircraft. Yet it is nimble and fast. Rosenbauer America’s website states, “The PANTHER impresses with tremendous maneuverability and speed. The low center of gravity of the vehicle and an impressively even longitudinal distribution of the weight on all axles enables optimum driving dynamics.”
Boasting 6-wheel-drive, all wheels turn to help it glide through curves to minimize the response time to reach an airfield emergency. And when it arrives, its arsenal includes 3,000 gallons of water, 400 gallons of firefighting foam and 500 lbs. of dry fire-retardant chemicals.
“The bumper turret sprays much smaller droplets,” explained Tech Sergeant Ronald B. Stanton, Station 33 Assistant Fire Chief.
“That way, it can absorb more heat and making it more efficient at tamping down a hot-burning jet fuel fire.”
Station 33’s mission not only includes the C-130s of the 166th Airlift Wing, but also the general and commercial aviation side of the New Castle County Airport (KILG). Additionally, they maintain mutual aid agreements with the local fire stations at Wilmington Manor and Minquedale, Del.
With the Delaware Air National Guard as its primary mission, station 33 is well poised to provide a rapid, state-of-the-art response to all aircraft emergencies for its fleet of 8 C-130H2 aircraft.