Air Force bids adieu to EC-130H electronic attack plane

A U.S. Air Force crew chief assigned to the 755th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron marshals an EC-130H Compass Call aircraft assigned to the 55th Electronic Combat Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, July 24, 2026. The aircraft's return marks another step in the transition from the EC-130H Compass Call to the EA-37B Compass Call.(U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Samantha Melecio)

WASHINGTON — The Air Force has formally retired the EC-130H Compass Call, capping over 40 years of operations for the electronic attack aircraft.

Officials said farewell to the aircraft during a ceremony on Sept. 18 at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona, where the turboprop executed its final operational taxi, according to an Air Force press release . The Arizona base is home to the 55th Electronic Combat Group that operated the Compass Call, as well as the “Boneyard” where the aircraft is scheduled to be laid to rest today.

“This closes the door not just on my time in our squadron, but on an entire chapter of my life,” Staff Sgt. Justin Franko, dedicated crew chief at the 755th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, said of the aircraft’s concluding taxi in the release.

The EC-130H — a version of Lockheed Martin’s C-130 turboprop modified with electronic attack equipment by BAE Systems and L3Harris — entered service in 1983 to disrupt enemy communications and jam radars. The Pentagon has disclosed that the aircraft even featured in initial stages of combat operations against Iran earlier this year in Operation Epic Fury.

The Air Force is replacing the EC-130H with the EA-37B, which will also be dubbed the Compass Call. The new electronic attack aircraft is based on a Gulfstream G550 business jet, and will similarly wield tech from BAE integrated by L3Harris.

“We are retiring the EC-130; we are not retiring Compass Call,” Col. Aaron Gray, commander of the 55th Wing at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, said in the Air Force’s release. “The mission continues with the EA-37B.”

The modern Compass Call will fly at twice the altitude and double the speed of its predecessor and operate more powerful systems against adversaries, according to the Air Force. The first aircraft was delivered in August 2024.

Three exercises that proved a new approach to C-UAS

Architecture that linked sensors, C2, RF effects, and lasers into a distributed c-UAS kill chain.

After previous uncertainty over the EA-37B’s fleet size, Air Force officials revealed in April that they would be boosting the forthcoming Compass Call’s fleet to 22 aircraft. Italy last year signed up to be the first export customer for the jet.

Advanced electronic warfare is a key aspect of modern warfare, and both offensive and defensive tech to wage war in the electromagnetic spectrum will be crucial in a conflict against a peer adversary like China. Alongside the Air Force, the Navy also operates a dedicated airborne electronic attack platform in the carrier-launched EA-18G Growler.

2026年7月24日，在亚利桑那州戴维斯-蒙森空军基地，一名隶属于美国空军第755飞机维修中队的机组长正在引导一架隶属于第55电子战大队的EC-130H“指南针呼叫”飞机。这架飞机的回归标志着EC-130H“指南针呼叫”向EA-37B“指南针呼叫”过渡的又一步。（美国空军一等兵萨曼莎·梅莱西奥摄）

华盛顿——美国空军正式退役了 EC-130H“指南针呼叫”电子攻击机，结束了该型电子攻击机 40 多年的服役生涯。

据空军新闻稿称，9月18日，在亚利桑那州戴维斯-蒙森空军基地举行的仪式上，官员们向这架涡轮螺旋桨飞机告别。这架飞机在此完成了其最后一次作战滑行。该基地是第55电子战大队的驻地，该大队曾操作过“指南针呼叫”无人机，同时也是“飞机坟场”的所在地，这架飞机将于今日安葬于此。

“这不仅结束了我在本中队的时光，也结束了我人生中的一个篇章，”第 755 飞机维修中队尽职尽责的机组长贾斯汀·弗兰科中士在新闻稿中谈到飞机的最后一次滑行时说道。

EC-130H是洛克希德·马丁公司C-130涡轮螺旋桨运输机的改进型，由BAE系统公司和L3Harris公司改装，加装了电子攻击设备。该机于1983年投入使用，用于干扰敌方通信和雷达。五角大楼透露，该机甚至在今年早些时候针对伊朗的“史诗狂怒行动”（Operation Epic Fury）初期阶段也参与了作战行动。

美国空军正以EA-37B电子战飞机取代EC-130H，后者也将被命名为“罗盘呼叫”（Compass Call）。这款新型电子攻击机基于湾流G550公务机平台打造，同样采用由L3Harris公司集成的BAE系统公司的技术。

“我们将退役EC-130，但不会退役‘指南针呼叫’（Compass Call）项目，”内布拉斯加州奥弗特空军基地第55联队指挥官亚伦·格雷上校在空军发布的新闻稿中表示。“EA-37B将继续执行这项任务。”

据美国空军称，现代化的“罗盘呼叫”无人机飞行高度和速度将是其前代产品的两倍，并配备更强大的系统对抗敌方目标。首架飞机已于2024年8月交付。

三个演习证明了反无人机系统（C-UAS）的一种新方法。

将传感器、C2、射频效应和激光连接成分布式 c-UAS 杀伤链的架构。

此前EA-37B的机队规模一直存在不确定性，但空军官员在4月份透露，即将服役的“指南针呼唤”（Compass Call）战机的机队规模将增加到22架。意大利去年签约成为该战机的首个出口客户。

先进电子战是现代战争的关键组成部分，在电磁频谱领域开展攻防作战的技术，对于与中国这样的势均力敌的对手发生冲突至关重要。除了空军之外，海军也拥有专门的机载电子攻击平台——EA-18G“咆哮者”电子战飞机，该飞机可从舰载起飞。