Approved By Forest Service For Nationwide Aerial Firefighting Ops

CAL FIRE has begun converting its aircraft fleet to the AEM (Anodyne Electronics Manufacturing Corp) MTP136D aerial firefighting radios. The state agency began testing the radios in 2024 and the radio received full approval from U.S. Forest Service in February 2025.

CAL FIRE purchased its first four radios last year and another 10 in February 2025. The agency then took delivery of 50 more earlier in July as it moved into the next phase of its fleet-wide conversion.

AEM continues to work closely with CAL AFIRE to support the ongoing installations and evaluation of the radio units, as well as providing dedicated training systems for seamless integration and operational proficiency to take advantage of the radio’s full potential and usability.

Tony Weller, AEM’s Sales and Marketing Director said, “We’re honored to be supplying CAL FIRE with the most up-to-date radio on the market. Since the radio received United States Forest Service (USFS) approval in February, we’ve seen a significant shift by US-based agencies to arm their aerial teams on the front lines battling wildfires with this easy-to-use and reliable piece of technology.”

The MTP136D meets all USFS requirements for aerial firefighting communications across all jurisdictions in the U.S. It is Project 25 Phase 1 compliant for digital and analog communication on all channels across the frequency band between 136MHz and 174MHz.

Ross Love, Chairman and CEO of AEM’s parent company, Structural Monitoring Systems, said, “We’re honored to be supplying CAL FIRE with the most technologically advanced specialist aerial firefighting radio available on the market and to have received this latest order of 50 units. Since the radio received United States Forest Service (USFS) approval in February we’ve seen a meaningful increase in demand from US-based agencies seeking modern, reliable, and intuitive communication systems for their front-line aerial teams.

“CAL FIRE’s commitment and over US$1million in MTP136D orders already fulfilled for the agency further validates the quality and standard of our technology and underscores the momentum we are building in the US market. CAL FIRE’s crucial role in responding to recent devastating wildfires in Los Angeles has further emphasized the need for dependable, mission-specific technology like ours and we are very proud to contribute in a small but meaningful way to their heroic firefighting efforts,” he said.

FMI:  www.aem-corp.com/