The Colorado Army National Guard supplied a UH-72 Lakota helicopter at the Black Forest Fire near Colorado Springs. The ship was parked at the baseball field adjacent to Pine Creek School and was used for recon on the fire.
The Lakota is a militarized version of the Eurocopter EC145. EASDS North America, which manufactures it in Columbus, Mississippi, says 267 have been built.
According to Wikipedia, it has a useful load of 3,953 pounds and can carry 8 troops. I am not aware of any being used to drop water on fires, but if the “useful load” figure is accurate that would translate to around 400 gallons of water and a Bambi Bucket, if it is capable of carrying an external load.
Other military helicopters were also used on the Black Forest Fire, including two UH60s and two CH47s, from Ft. Carson and the Colorado Army National Guard. Below is a photo taken from one of those aircraft.
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The made-in-America UH-72 Lakota is an flexible helicopter capable of performing a wide array of military, para-military, and civil missions. Currently in service with U.S. Army National Guard units, the helicopter is receiving rave reviews from operators and maintainers.
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