The Air Force plans to add five EA-37B Compass Call electronic-attack aircraft to its arsenal in the coming fiscal year. The first of 10 EA-37Bs was delivered to the Air Force last year for testing — two years later than anticipated. Delivery of the first mission-ready jet is expected sometime in 2024. Compass Call is designed to jam enemy signals and can suppress enemy air defenses by blocking connections between weapons systems and command-and-control networks.
The 43rd Electronic Combat Squadron at Davis-Monthan will be the first to transition to the new Compass Call, which began flying in the 1980s. The squadron recently logged its final flight in an EC-130H, marking the end of an era. The new EA-37B comes as the Air Force looks to replace its older aircraft with more capable versions. The service said in November it had retired nine of its 14 old Compass Calls so far.
The Air Force contends that advances in equipment on the new Compass Call airframe will allow it to consolidate jobs onboard and cut the crew to nine members. The 41st Electronic Combat Squadron spent 20 years overseas with the Compass Call, becoming the longest continuously deployed Air Force unit in Afghanistan.
