The C-130s replace eight tanker planes based in Arizona that were grounded because of safety concerns. Twenty-five others were grounded nationwide.
The two cargo planes at Williams Gateway are ready to be sent anywhere in the Southwest, said Vincent Picard, spokesman for the Tonto National Forest.
``Oftentimes we wonder if we're going to be deployed,'' said Air Force Lt. Col. Russ McKeel, one of the C-130 pilots. ``We're not wondering this year.''
The planes are part of a fleet of eight in a program developed by the Air Force and the Forest Service in the 1970s.
The program is more important than ever with other tankers grounded, officials said.
Government officials canceled the contracts for the nation's 33 heavy tankers this month in response to two fatal crashes in 2002.
Fire officials said heavy air tankers are crucial for stopping small fires from getting bigger and for delivering maximum payloads in large fires.
Related:
