The inaugural EC-37B Compass Call aircraft, the initial of a planned 10, has been handed over to the US Air Force by BAE Systems and L3Harris Technologies for formal combined developmental and operational testing, September 12.
The incoming EC-37B fleet is poised to supplant the aging EC-130H aircraft in service with the Air Combat Command, marking their retirement.
BAE is responsible for the construction of the electronic attack components for the upgraded Compass Call, conducted in Hudson, New Hampshire, while L3Harris handles the integration of these mission-specific components into a Gulfstream G550 business jet at its Waco, Texas facility.
The Compass Call aircraft is slated to undertake a range of electronic warfare missions, encompassing the disruption of enemy signals such as communications, radar, and navigation systems.
BAE Systems has outlined its mission scope to encompass the suppression of enemy air defenses, effectively obstructing their capacity to transmit critical information between weapon systems and command-and-control networks.
“We take pride in delivering this critical EW capability to keep the US at the vanguard for defense and deterrence,” said Dave Harrold, Vice President and General Manager, Countermeasure & Electromagnetic Attack, BAE Systems.
“Our team accomplished the incredible challenge of migrating the Compass Call mission equipment from the much larger EC-130H and fully integrating it into the Gulfstream G550 platform,” said Jason Lambert, President, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, L3Harris.
“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,” added Lambert.
