EC-130H Compass Call

The Lockheed EC-130H Compass Call is an electronic attack aircraft operated by the United States Air Force, derived from the C-130 Hercules transport. Modified to disrupt enemy command and control communications and conduct offensive counterinformation operations, it entered service in 1982 and reached initial operating capability in 1983. All aircraft were based at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, with the 55th Electronic Combat Group, and the type formed one of three principal U.S. electronic warfare platforms alongside the EA-18G Growler and F-16CJ.

Development

The airframe is based on the C-130 Hercules, a four-engine turboprop transport originally developed in the 1950s and adapted into numerous specialized versions. The first Compass Call conversion flew in 1981 and was delivered to the Air Force in March 1982. The fleet peaked at 14 aircraft. In September 2017 the Air Force selected L3 Technologies as lead systems integrator for a successor based on the Gulfstream G550 business jet; Air Combat Command designated this aircraft the EA-37B on 14 November 2023. The EA-37B carries a crew of nine rather than thirteen and re-hosts approximately 70 percent of the EC-130H mission systems unchanged.

Design

The aircraft retains the C-130 airframe with four Allison T56-A-15 turboprops of 4,591 shp each driving four-bladed constant-speed reversible propellers of 13 ft 6 in diameter. Length is 98 ft 9 in, wingspan 132 ft 7 in, height 38 ft 3 in, empty weight 101,000 lb and maximum takeoff weight 155,000 lb. Cruise speed is 300 mph, range 2,641 mi and service ceiling 25,000 ft. The combat crew of 13 comprises four flight personnel — aircraft commander, co-pilot, navigator and flight engineer — and nine mission crew operating equipment permanently installed in the cargo compartment: a mission crew commander, weapon system officer, mission crew supervisor, four analysis operators, an acquisition operator and an airborne maintenance technician. The mission crew supervisor and analysis operators are cryptologic linguists.

Operational History

Compass Call aircraft flew over Panama, Haiti, Yugoslavia, Iraq and Afghanistan. Between 2002 and 2015, EC-130Hs supporting Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Freedom's Sentinel logged more than 40,000 flight hours across 6,900 combat sorties. Operating units comprised the 41st and 43rd Electronic Combat Squadrons, the 42nd ECS as formal training unit, the 755th Operations Support Squadron and the 755th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron; the 55th ECG was a tenant of the 355th Fighter Wing but reported to the 55th Wing at Offutt AFB, Nebraska. The first airframe, serial 73-01587, was retired on 15 January 2020. Withdrawals continued through the mid-2020s, leaving only a handful operational in 2024. The last EC-130H flew its final sortie on 2 September 2026, with a retirement ceremony scheduled at Davis-Monthan AFB for 18 September 2026. The type had no export customers.

Variants

• Baseline 1 (Block 35): Configuration jamming communications, early warning/acquisition radar and navigation systems, with higher effective radiated power, extended frequency coverage and digital signal processing.
• Baseline 2: Upgraded standard with expanded satellite communications, additional multi-asset coordination nets, improved data-link terminals and classified mission system modifications.
• EA-37B Compass Call: Gulfstream G550-based replacement designated in November 2023, crewed by nine and retaining most EC-130H mission equipment.