{"id":19953,"date":"2018-08-10T16:16:24","date_gmt":"2018-08-10T16:16:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/08\/10\/could-the-air-force-bomb-wildfires-into-submission\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:28:01","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:28:01","slug":"could-the-air-force-bomb-wildfires-into-submission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/08\/10\/could-the-air-force-bomb-wildfires-into-submission\/","title":{"rendered":"Could the Air Force bomb wildfires into submission?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a commentary on a popular national security website, an Air Force officer suggested an alternative approach to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforcetimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2017\/12\/07\/1st-national-guard-troops-activated-to-fight-california-wildfires\/\" target=_blank>combating wildfires<\/a>, which have plagued the West Coast this summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rather than fighting wildfires <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforcetimes.com\/management\/budget\/2017\/09\/15\/forest-service-spends-record-2b-battling-forest-fires\/\" target=\"_blank\">in the traditional way<\/a> \u2014 using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforcetimes.com\/news\/your-air-force\/2017\/07\/29\/air-national-guard-c-130s-activated-to-fight-western-wildfires\/\" target=\"_blank\">aircraft to drop chemical retardants<\/a> on the blaze while ground crews clear brush that fuels the flames \u2014 the Air Force should try to put them out by bombing them, wrote <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforcetimes.com\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/04\/18\/the-air-force-is-still-thinking-about-retiring-the-f-15-and-it-could-happen-sooner-than-you-think\/\" target=\"_blank\">F-15E Strike Eagle <\/a>weapons systems officer Mike Benitez in <a href=\"https:\/\/warontherocks.com\/2018\/08\/shocking-wildfires-into-submission-a-proposal\/\" target=\"_blank\">War on the Rocks<\/a> Aug. 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the piece, Benitez suggests a technique whereby guided bombs are dropped on a fire, emitting a shockwave that snuffs out airflow behind it and temporarily slows a fire\u2019s spread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the idea sounds like something a bomber pilot itching for extra flight time cooked up at happy hour, there is a precedent for such an operation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last month, the Swedish air force actually did drop a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/digital-show-dailies\/paris-air-show\/2017\/06\/26\/raytheon-pushes-gbu-49-as-quick-fix-to-give-f-35-ability-to-hit-moving-targets\/\" target=\"_blank\">500-pound GBU-49<\/a> laser and GPS-guided bomb from a fighter jet onto a burning forest that was threatening local communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s an attempt to remove the oxygen from the fire, which is only a possibility because the fire is on a military shooting range,\u201d rescue chief Johan Szymanski told Swedish <a href=\"https:\/\/www.svt.se\/nyheter\/lokalt\/dalarna\/unika-atgarden-bomber-ska-slappas-over-trangslet\" target=_blank>state broadcaster SVT<\/a>. \u201cOur view is that the fire is unique and because of this we must use unconventional extinguishing methods.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The country has also used artillery rounds to suffocate smaller fires in military shooting areas, according to a press release from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forsvarsmakten.se\/sv\/aktuellt\/2018\/07\/lyckad-bombfallning-for-att-hindra-branden-i-alvdalens-skjutfalt\/\" target=\"_blank\">Swedish Armed Forces<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/video\/2018\/07\/30\/california-national-guard-help-fight-deadly-wildfires\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/video-poster-aee4001c-0828-4fab-ab8c-56b9db5306b4.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">California National Guard help fight deadly wildfires<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">California Air National Guard has C130s in the air helping to try to contain the deadly Carr fire that has scorched thousands of acres and killed several people<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The use of a precision bomb in a limited setting isn\u2019t unheard of, actually. But the Swedish example was a unique situation, according to Michael Gollner, an associate professor of fire protection engineering at the University of Maryland, who studies how wildfires spread and how to guard against them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s an interesting idea, however, I think there are few situations where it would be practically useful,\u201d Gollner said. \u201cSweden was a very unique case, probably where traditional suppression would have worked fine if it was safe enough to do so.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Sweden example was unique because the actual fire took place on a shooting range littered with unexploded ordnance that could \u201ccook off\u201d from the intense heat. This prevented ground fire fighting services from getting within a half-mile of the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bombing could theoretically play a role in halting wildfires, but it\u2019s important to understand that \u201cmost wildfire suppression efforts actually are not about \u2018putting out the fire\u2019 but instead about removing fuel ahead of the fire,\u201d Gollner said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fighting a wildfire with traditional retardant drops can help slow the spread of the flames, but they\u2019re not really able to put the fire out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;It\u2019s more effective at slowing spread on the flanks [sides of the fire] and when there is a change in topography, lower fuel loads, or when the weather gives you a break and is moister or calmer winds,\u201d Gollner said. \u201cEven when attempting to extinguish a large warehouse fire, suppression works by limiting spread by wetting surrounding fuels and controlling the fire from growing further. It isn\u2019t truly extinguishment. The ignited fuel has to burn out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the case of a large detonation from a bomb, the effects on the fire would likely only be temporary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe momentary lull following a bomb would quickly have flames pick up again as a brief bit of wind picks up and plenty of fuel is still available,&#8221; Gollner said. &#8220;The only way this would work is for a very small fire that could be completely covered, where almost all the available fuel surrounding the fire was also taken out. This is not only impractical for a large fire, but also incredibly damaging to surrounding ecosystems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gollner said a better fire management technique is simply managing lands in advance of large forest fires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf we were to have more small fires, more often, we wouldn\u2019t have these extreme fires occurring during bad weather that turn completely out of control,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019d have smaller ones that could be tackled by traditional means.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4017\" height=\"2678\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4625959.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-42610\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4625959.jpg.jpg 4017w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4625959.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4625959.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4625959.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4625959.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4625959.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 4017px) 100vw, 4017px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Airmen from the Washington Air National Guard fight the Sheep Creek fire Aug. 6, 2018, near Northport, Wash.  Washington Army and Air National Guardsmen made up 102 of the 350 personnel assigned to fight the Sheep Creek fire. (Washington Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Tim Chacon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still, Benitez\u2019s commentary is an exercise in thought. It encourages out-of-the-box thinking and unconventional uses for traditional tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And while the application may be limited, it\u2019s not without its uses, as demonstrated by the Swedes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Honing that capability and devising a more suitable delivery method could be worth exploring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAt best, maybe the collective output of any defense experimentation is that the fire is suppressed enough to dispel its local weather influence, reintroducing predictability to the firefighting effort,\u201d Benitez wrote. \u201cAt worst, nothing meaningful happens on the ground and aircrews get some training.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"200\" height=\"113\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WtFyGwTyof8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" 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