Goodby to the Firewatch Cobra helicopters

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The intelligence-gathering helicopters had been used on wildfires by the USFS for 19 years.

last of the Firewatch Cobras
The last of the Firewatch Cobras at Redding, CA, N109Z, has been hauled off.

The last of the Firewatch Cobra helicopters have been dismantled and were hauled away last week at Redding, California.

After 19 years, the U.S. Forest Service shut down the Firewatch Cobra helicopter program. Most of the electronic components were boxed up and sent to Boise.

N109z and N107Z were retired after their last flight October 16, 2021. They were retrofitted Bell AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters, two of the 25 that the U.S. Forest Service acquired from the military. Most of the other 23 had been stored at the aircraft boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base near Tucson. Word on the ramp is that it had become difficult to find spare parts for the Vietnam War-era aircraft which were manufactured 38 and 52 years ago.

The Cobras were outfitted with infrared and other sensors so that they could be used for close-in intelligence support for firefighters, such as GIS mapping, real time color video, geo-referenced infrared, and infrared downlink. In addition to intelligence gathering, they were also used as a platform for an Air Attack Group Supervisor (ATGS) or a Helicopter Coordinator (HLCO).

Firewatch Cobra
Firewatch Cobra, N107Z, on the Bar Complex. USFS photo.
Cobra helicopter undergoing maintenance
Cobra undergoing maintenance, August 8, 2014. Photo by Bill Gabbert.

When they announced the end of the Cobra Firewatch program last year, the Forest Service said, “There is no reduction in firefighting surveillance or operational capabilities with the transition. Local communities and wildland firefighters will be better served by the advancements in modern technology.  [The two Cobras] served the Forest Service for nineteen years and reached their maximum lifespan after flying approximately 7,600 flight hours with the Cobra program.”

“The Forest Service thanks all the pilots, mechanics, aerial supervisors, and program managers that made the Cobra program a success,” said Robert Baird, Director of Fire and Aviation Management for the USFS California region. “The next generation of equipment will continue this critical mission of public safety and protection.”

Firewatch Cobras
Two Firewatch Cobras undergoing maintenance in Redding August 8, 2014. Photo by Bill Gabbert.
Cockpit of a Cobra helicopter undergoing maintenance at Redding, Aug. 8, 2014. Photo by Bill Gabbert.

A person familiar with the program who prefers to remain anonymous wrote to us Sunday about the Cobras:

Today in Redding, California many of the R-5 Cobra program members, both contractors and USFS, are meeting to say final goodbyes. The Cobra program is another prime example of the USFS not being able to manage ownership of an aviation program. This program lasted the better part of 18 years and actually made revenue. As all agencies are trying to find new and creative ways to bring technology to the fire ground, this program was the first to do it while providing tactical support directly to firefighters on the ground. Way too good of an idea and way too much logic for USFS Aviation Management to keep.  It’s a sad day.

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14 thoughts on “Goodby to the Firewatch Cobra helicopters”

  1. The Cobra helicopters were awesome. I was in Vietnam in ‘71 when they were there. What a badass helicopter and feared by the enemy. I heard they had two engines in them.

  2. The years I spent as an Aerial Supervisor in the Firewatch Cobra providing close in tactical support for the ground firefighters rank right up there with my hotshot years in terms of personal job satisfaction.

    The Firewatch Cobra with its array of intelligence technology, communication suite coupled with the staffing of ground savvy aerial supervisors and pilots was THE BEST close in tactical support aircraft available for wildland firefighters. The support provided to the IMT’s and local units by the attached GIS technicians and equipment, mechanics and fuel truck drivers made this program a complete package.

    I am glad I was able to participate in and contribute to this Region 5 aerial program. You had to be there to appreciate the attached personnel dedication and the two individuals with the vision to put it together. Thanks Stan and Morgan!!

  3. Bout time. The ships are/were money wasters comparing other ships for the job at hand.

  4. Good news: the AH-1 Cobra is being replaced by the UH-.5 Garter Snake. Based on the venerable Ken Brock Gyrocopter, it can operate from any location, carries enough fuel to make a complete traffic pattern, and comes in a variety of cool colors and seat upholstry. For a limited time only, each UH-.5 comes with a set of fuzzy mirror dice and a one-year netflix account. Pilot training is available online.

    Nextgen is here.

  5. Good idea, Morgan, and great job, but it’s time…FW is the “Next Gen”.

  6. Be great to have one just for cruising around.
    (Assuming you could scrounge up the parts.)
    I’ve always wanted a HIND but never had the cash on hand when they came around…

  7. Great tool, hopefully they can be replaced with ships that have legs longer than 5 minutes.

    1. …or the 2.8 to 3.2 hour flights that I flew routinely for thirteen seasons in 109z, but what would I know!

      1. Mark Voelker

        Probably nothing, like people would say “what would / do you know?” ……probably just like the USFS thought about the US Army AD folks, Guard and Reserve who operated these ships daily from 2.8 hour to cross country flights and the over night maintenance we 67Y 10/20/30s did for over 20 years to keep so FT Drum could hand em off for “Forest Service ownership.” More like FEPP ownership…cuz more than likely Big Army still owns ’em.

        2.8-3.2 hours flights were the norm for Snake drivers…..what you would know is what you would know….. that many of us in the Cobra field we accepted that they were going away, parts were hard to get, Bell wasn’t going to support the ship, etc

        We all cried in our beer for about a week and then it was on to UH60s, a new MTOE, new mission guidance.

        Good luck with your next mission and aircraft , folks!!

        1. What are they doing with them? If they’re going to Davis-Monthan, what are the chances of getting one for a static display for a local VFW? I Flew them before I transitioned into Apaches, and my hometown west of Redding is full of Vietnam Vets who would love to see one infront of our Hall

      2. Sorry Mark,
        Didn’t mean to cap on your old ride, just injecting a bit of humour. The mission these ships performed was invaluable to the dudes on the ground. Press on, sir!

      3. Hey Mark,

        I doubt you’ll remember me, but you gave me a few minutes of your time in Beckwourth, on the North Complex, back in 2020 to do an interview on the Firewatch Program. I was a dinky little FF working on a PIO taskbook to see if I liked that instead of doing OPS. I came out and interviewed you guys in the trailer. Anyway, I loved listening to you guys back then, and as an aviation geek, was in awe of the program.

        I saw your comments here and just wanted to say hello and thank you for everything you did with the program. I’ve been following this program ever since, whenever it came up in news. Thank you again for your time back in 2020. I learned a great deal about the program, it’s so incredibly sad to see it going. I hope you get back on the stick of something equally as awesome.

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