Air Force Retires EC-130H Compass Call

Tactical military aircraft makes final flight alongside EA-37B, the model that will replace it.

Jack Daleo

Saturday, September 05, 2026 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

The last remaining U.S. Air Force EC-130H Compass Call aircraft this week makes its final flight alongside the EA-37B that will replace it. [Credit: Devlin Bishop/U.S. Air Force]

Key Takeaways:

The last active U.S. Air Force EC-130H Compass Call electronic warfare aircraft completed its final flight, marking its retirement after decades of service disrupting enemy communications.
The EC-130H flew in formation with its replacement, the EA-37B, a modified Gulfstream 550 business jet designed to take over the "compass call" mission.
The EA-37B offers significant performance improvements over its predecessor, including faster speeds, higher altitudes, and longer ranges, though it carries fewer personnel.
The Air Force is phasing in the EA-37B fleet, with plans to acquire up to 22 aircraft by 2031, and the new platform has already seen early combat deployment despite not yet being fully operational.

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The last remaining U.S. Air Force EC-130H Compass Call made its final flight this week alongside an EA-37B, the modified Gulfstream 550 that will replace it.

Per a photo release Wednesday from the 355th Wing based at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona, the EC-130H and EA-73B flew in formation together for the first time. According to the 355th, EC-130H crews have flown over 76,000 combat hours over the past 20 years. Soon, it will join the Air Force’s already retired EC-130Hs in the boneyard at Davis-Monthan once the branch transitions its “compass call” mission systems to the Gulfstream business jets.