The EA-37B Compass Call: Delivering the Future of Electronic Warfare Today

While every aircraft delivery is significant, the third aircraft marked a key milestone as the first EA-37B delivered to Air Combat Command (ACC).

Air Force Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, Commander, Air Combat Command, visited the L3Harris Waco, Texas, aircraft missionization facility to personally receive the aircraft and pilot the ferry flight to Davis Monthan Air Force Base. He was joined by Lt. Gen. Thomas Hensley, 16th Air Force commander, and Col. Mark Howard, 55th Wing commander.

“We are on the cusp of delivering advanced capability, especially in electronic combat, and today is an exciting day for Air Combat Command,” Gen. Wilsbach said in a recent announcement.

Keeping Compass Call Flying for More Than 20 Years

The Compass Call mission has provided our U.S. and allied forces with disruption of enemy communications, radars and navigation systems for more than 40 years. The system suppresses enemy air defenses by preventing the transmission of essential information between adversaries, weapon systems and command-and-control networks.

The original Compass Call fleet was comprised of C-130 aircraft, designated the EC-130H when integrated with the EA mission system. The heavily deployed EC-130H served in every major U.S. contingency operation since the mid-1980s, and until recently, was continuously deployed to support U.S. Central Command operations in the Middle East.

L3Harris’ Waco facility has provided integration and depot-level maintenance services to the legacy Compass Call fleet since 2003 – first with the integration of the EC-130H, and now with the migration of the mission system to the modified special missions, Gulfstream G550 business jet.

“It was an incredible task migrating the complex Compass Call mission system from the EC-130H into the streamlined G550 to extend the heritage of the Air Force’s premier jamming fleet,” said Jason Lambert, President, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, L3Harris. “We are proud to equip the Air Force with capabilities so it can endure in electromagnetic spectrum dominance against our adversaries.”

70+ Years of Aircraft Missionization Heritage

L3Harris is the air vehicle integration prime for the Compass Call fleet.

The Compass Call program is part of L3Harris’ growing portfolio of multi-mission business jet solutions hosted on a variety of commercial platforms supporting critical global security missions. Other efforts include the Royal Australian Air Force’s Peregrine program; the U.S. Army’s Airborne Reconnaissance and Electronic Warfare and Theater Level High-Altitude Expeditionary Next Airborne ISR Radar programs hosted on Bombardier Global series aircraft; and a variety of international maritime ISR programs hosted on the Dassault Falcon 2000.

L3Harris has integrated systems info aircraft for more than 70 years and missionized aircraft from more than 10 original equipment manufacturers, consisting of over 125 aircraft types with more than 15,000 deliveries. The company has more than 77 multi-mission business jet aircraft on contract or delivered.

“As global militaries look towards business jets as an enabler for multi-mission operations, our team remains ready to apply our expertise to integrate and deliver these adaptable platforms for the future fight,” said Lambert.