US Air Force Special Operations Training Center, or AFSOTC, personnel conducted the first MC-130J training program flight class in February. The first MC-130J aircrew practiced airdrops, aerial refueling, and formation flights on EC-130J Commando Solo aircraft operated by the 193rd Special Operations Wing at Harrisburg IAP, Pennsylvania. AFSOTC worked in conjunction with the 193rd SOW, the US Marine Corps, and the US National Guard Bureau to start a training program two years in the making. This first class is a small group tryout designed to validate the instruction syllabus for the remaining classes—essentially training the trainers. The MC-130J is operated by a five-member aircrew, which is a reduction in size from the eight-member MC-130P Combat Shadow crew.
