The U.S. Air Force has taken delivery of the first of 10 improved EC-37B Compass electronic attack aircraft from BAE Systems and L3Harris Technologies to replace the older EC-130H Compass electronic attack aircraft that have been in service since 1982.
Hollywood emphasizes action and incredibly hot scenes, so in the public mind war is a big bang, with every engagement a frontal assault in a hail of bullets. However, not every battle is a replica of "D-Day" or "Rock's Drift". Many battles are silent and invisible, relying not on rockets and bullets but on electromagnetism and binary bits.
Electromagnetic attack (EA) is a good example, where seemingly defenseless aircraft are armed to the teeth with antennas, electronics, and clever algorithms. Since the 1980s, the U.S. Air Force has operated a fleet of 14 Hercules aircraft, designated EC-130H Compass Call. Their main mission is not air traffic control, reconnaissance, communications or early warning, but to actively engage the enemy by jamming, deceiving or otherwise destroying command communications and other important electronic systems, disabling air defense and command and control systems.
The fleet is currently being phased out and replaced by the EC-37B, which is based on the civilian Gulfstream G550 business jet. At 95 feet (29 meters) long with a wingspan of 91 feet (28 meters), the aircraft is smaller and lighter than its predecessor, with operating costs only 50 percent of the Hercules. In addition, due to the use of two Rolls-Royce BR710C4-11 engines, the Gulfstream aircraft is faster, has a longer range, and has a higher ceiling.
The electronic equipment inside the "Gulfstream" fuselage is a more advanced version of the electronic equipment carried by the EC-130H. The electronics are manufactured at BAE Systems' facility in Hudson, New Hampshire, and integrated by L3Harris' Aircraft Mission Center in Waco, Texas.
The first five aircraft will be equipped with the "Compass" baseline 3 configuration, and the last five aircraft will be equipped with the "Compass" baseline 4 configuration. The latter will replace much of the hardware system with new open-architecture software to enable faster and simpler upgrades.
"Our team completed the difficult task of migrating the CompassCall mission equipment from the larger EC-130H to the Gulfstream G550 platform," said Jason Lambert, president of L3Harris' Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Division. "As the Air Force's 40-year-old EC-130H fleet gradually retires, the cutting-edge EC-37B will enable customers to continue to conduct critical electromagnetic warfare missions for generations to come," said Jason Lambert, president of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance at L3Harris.