In the skies above Los Angeles, air tankers and helicopters silhouetted by the setting California sun dart in and out of giant wildfire plumes, dropping much-needed flame retardant and precious water onto the angry fires below.

The Modular Aerial Fire Fighting Systems program was instituted in 1971 as a collaboration between the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of Defense.

A firefighting aircraft responding to ongoing Southern California wildfires was grounded after it was struck and damaged by a civilian drone.

For 30 years, the aircraft have been part of California's fire defenses. In a warming world, these types of cross-border deals will become more important.

The Federal Aviation Administration was forced to issue a reminder on January 9th, shortly after an unidentified civilian drone collided with a Canadair CL-415 Super Scooper at approximately 1PM PST over the Palisades firestorm.

A Canadian Super Scooper plane was hit by a drone while flying over the Palisades Fire. The plane is expected to fly again, but as KNBC's David Biggar reports, the FAA is investigating as flying drones in a fire zone is illegal and violators can face hefty fines.

In the aftermath the FAA promised severe punishment for anyone caught flying drones in a way that interferes with firefighting, with penalties of up to 12 months in prison and $75,000 in fines. But the uncomfortable reality is that there is little that authorities can do to prevent illegal drone flights,

A spokesperson with the California state firefighting agency, Cal Fire, says the aircraft landed without incident. The agency is urging people not to fly their drones over the fires.