Summer Myatt
The U.S. Air Force has received the first EC-37B Compass Call electronic warfare aircraft from BAE Systems and L3Harris Technologies as part of efforts to enhance EW capabilities of air, surface and special operations forces.
BAE said Tuesday the service branch will start combined developmental and operational testing of the next-generation aircraft designed to launch jamming attacks against adversarial communications, radars and navigation systems.
The new EC-37B Compass Call will replace the Air Force’s EC-130H fleet and conduct EW missions to disrupt data transmission between an enemy’s weapon systems and command-and-control networks.
“As the Air Force sunsets its 40-year-old EC-130H fleet, the cutting-edge EC-37B will empower the customer to continue serving its vital electromagnetic warfare mission for generations to come,” said Jason Lambert, president of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance at L3Harris.
BAE manufactures the aircraft’s airborne electromagnetic attack mission system at its Hudson, New Hampshire facility, while L3Harris integrates the hardware into a modern Gulfstream G550 business jet at its aircraft missionization center in Waco, Texas.
The contractors are set to deliver a total of 10 Compass Call aircraft to the Air Force.
