The U.S. Air Force has officially retired the last of its EC-130H Compass Call electronic attack aircraft, ending a turboprop platform’s decades-long mission and accelerating the transfer of airborne electromagnetic warfare duties to the jet-powered EA-37B, according to Space Forces Magazine, which first reported the transition at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona. The retirement marks a generational shift in how the service suppresses and disrupts adversary command-and-control networks — a mission that has grown more complex as near-peer competitors field layered, frequency-agile communications architectures. As militaries worldwide race to modernize electronic warfare capabilities, as covered in GDD’s reporting on air defense doctrine, the pressure to field faster, more survivable platforms has intensified.

The EC-130H had operated with the 55th Electronic Combat Group at Davis-Monthan, flying a mission centered on disrupting enemy communications and degrading integrated air defense systems. The aircraft, a heavily modified variant of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport, carried a large onboard crew of electronic warfare officers and systems operators who managed its jamming and signal-exploitation payloads. Its turboprop engines, while well suited to long loiter times, imposed speed and survivability constraints that the Air Force determined were increasingly incompatible with contested airspace in a high-end conflict scenario.

The EA-37B and the Logic Behind the Switch

The EA-37B, based on the Bombardier Global 6000 business-jet airframe, replaces the EC-130H with significantly greater speed and a modernized electronic attack suite. The platform is operated under the Compass Call recapitalization program, which the Air Force pursued specifically to field a jet-powered replacement that could better penetrate or operate near contested environments. The EA-37B’s higher cruise speed gives mission planners more flexibility in positioning the aircraft relative to threats while maintaining standoff, a critical advantage as adversary long-range surface-to-air missile systems grow in range and sensor sophistication.

Air and Space Forces Magazine reported that Davis-Monthan is serving as the central hub for this transition, with the base expected to host the EA-37B going forward. The new platform retains the broad mission set of its predecessor — disrupting communications, degrading command networks, and supporting joint force operations — but the updated architecture allows it to handle a wider and more dynamic electromagnetic spectrum. Officials have not publicly detailed the full operational capacity of the EA-37B’s sensor and jamming systems, and specific figures on range or power output remain classified.

Basing, Workforce, and the Road Ahead at Davis-Monthan

The retirement of the EC-130H also carries significant implications for Davis-Monthan’s workforce and infrastructure. Transitioning from a four-engine turboprop to a business-jet derivative requires retraining maintenance crews on a fundamentally different airframe and propulsion system. The Air Force has not publicly specified the timeline or scale of personnel retraining programs underway at the base, but the scope of the change — replacing an entire fleet of specialized aircraft — represents a substantial undertaking for the 55th Electronic Combat Group and supporting squadrons.

Davis-Monthan, already home to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group — the facility commonly known as the “Boneyard” — has long been associated with aircraft end-of-life processing. The EC-130H’s retirement adds another chapter to that legacy. How many of the retired airframes will be preserved, parted out, or eventually sent into storage has not been confirmed by Air Force officials. What is confirmed is that the EA-37B represents the service’s primary investment in fixed-wing airborne electronic attack for the foreseeable future, and NATO training pressures stemming from the Ukraine conflict have only sharpened the urgency of fielding capable, survivable electronic warfare assets across the alliance.