Marines with attach water buckets to an MV-22B Osprey at Cal Fire's Hemet-Ryan Air Attack Base. Marine Corps photo
Marines with attach water buckets to an MV-22B Osprey at Cal Fire’s Hemet-Ryan Air Attack Base. Marine Corps photo

Marine pilots have successfully tested water bucket drops from MV-22B Osprey titltrotor aircraft to qualify them for fighting local wildfires.

The Miramar-based Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 165 tested bucket drops Thursday during a firefighting exercise with Cal Fire at the Hemet-Ryan Air Attack Base.

Marine helicopters were instrumental in fighting the wildfires that blazed across San Diego County in May 2014. The Marines train annually with Cal Fire as a precaution.

Chris Jennewein is Editor & Publisher of Times of San Diego.