Air Combat Command received its first EA-37B Compass Call, aircraft 19-5591, for pilot training Aug. 23, at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.
The EA-37B, a wide-area airborne electromagnetic attack weapon system using a heavily modified version of the Gulfstream G550 airframe, was delivered by Gen. Ken Wilsbach, ACC commander, along with Lt. Gen. Thomas Hensley, Sixteenth Air Force commander, and Col. Mark Howard, 55th Wing commander.
"For a pilot, there is nothing better than picking up a brand new aircraft from the factory and delivering it to the warfighters. For those of you who are going to get to fly it, it's going to be amazing," Wilsbach said. "We are on the cusp of delivering advanced capability, especially in electronic combat, and today is an exciting day for Air Combat Command."
Aircraft 19-5591, now assigned to the 55th Electronic Combat Group, will be flown by the 43rd Electronic Combat Squadron and maintained by the Contractor Logistics Support Aircraft Maintenance team at Davis-Monthan AFB. The aircraft will give ACC aircrews their first opportunity to begin pilot mission planning and training.
Although located at Davis-Monthan AFB, the 55th ECG reports to the 55th Wing at Offutt AFB, Nebraska. The group is the sole operator of Compass Call aircraft in worldwide contingency operations.
"The EC-130 has served its purpose for years, but this new airframe and its delivery mean that we have a combat-credible threat," Howard said. "The EA-37B, with its increased range, speed and agility, will allow Airmen onboard the aircraft to make real-time, adaptive, agile decisions for airpower."
The aircraft sustains joint force military advantage in the electromagnetic battlespace and builds a more lethal force by modernizing electromagnetic attack capabilities to deny peer competitors' tactical networks and information ecosystems.
Additionally, the aircraft denies, degrades and disrupts adversary communications, information processing, navigation, radar systems and radio-controlled threats. It also employs offensive counter-information and electromagnetic attack capabilities in support of U.S. and coalition tactical air, surface and special operations forces.
"The EA-37B is the right choice right now because as we continue to pivot toward Great Power Competition, we have adversaries that are developing long-range kill chain ecosystems and anti-access area denial capabilities," Hensley said. "The Compass Call will allow us to do things in the non-kinetic spectrum as well as the electromagnetic spectrum to give us the advantage and not them."
As the Air Force's newest electromagnetic attack platform, the EA-37B will replace the legacy EC-130H as a more modern, and cost-effective, commercial derivative aircraft. Nine of 14 EC-130H aircraft have been divested to date.
"The EC-130 has been one of the flagships of Davis-Monthan since the early 1980s, and the arrival of the EA-37B along with the stand up of 11th Air Task Force shields a new era for Davis-Monthan AFB," said Col. Scott Mills, 355th Wing commander. "As we look to take on the growing threat, the bottom line for the Airmen of Davis-Monthan and the 55th Electronic Combat Group is we are ready today to face that threat."
Wilsbach also extended his gratitude to the citizens of Tucson.
"This community is so supportive of Davis-Monthan and our mission here, and I can't let a ceremony like this pass without thanking you," Wilsbach said. "You make it special for the Airmen and the families that serve here, and certainly you make it capable for us to work on our readiness, to train, and to be prepared for whenever we get called."
A second aircraft is expected to be delivered for training to Davis-Monthan AFB by the end of 2024.
