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19th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Fla., is scheduled to phase out its MC-130E Combat Talon I simulator on Oct. 1 to make way for MC-130J training, states a base release. “The MC-130E aircraft is scheduled to retire in September 2013, and around that time, the next generation MC-130J simulator will be here,” said project officer William Guagliardo. “In the mean time, the MC-130H Combat Talon II will continue to provide training for pilots, mechanics, and other career fields,” he added. Combat Talon I pilots and maintainers will also continue to train on actual MC-130Es until Air Force Special Operations Command retires the airplanes, according to the release. The Combat Talon I simulator was the 19th SOS’s first such instructional device, aiding the training of more than 800 aircrew since its delivery in 1997, states the release. (Hurlburt report by SrA. Melanie Holochwost)
The rate of building B-21 bombers would speed up if the fiscal 2026 defense budget passes. But it remains unclear how much capacity would be added, and whether the Air Force would simply build the bombers faster, or buy more.