Officials at Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, official opened the 58th Special Operations Wing’s new HC/MC-130J Weapon System Trainer, or WST, in ceremonies at the base in Albuquerque on 19 January. The new simulator will be certified to the military equivalent of the Federal Aviation Administration's Level D definitions, enabling pilot, combat systems officer, and loadmaster aircrew position training in an environment very much like the actual aircraft. Aircrews will receive almost seventy-five percent of their HC/MC-specific training in the WST. All basic qualification training is conducted in the simulator. The mission capabilities of the HC/MC-130J special operations aircraft can also be conducted in the WST, including NVG low-level operations, air-to-air refueling as tanker and receiver, and no-light landings.
