Illustrative image. (U.S. Air Force photo by SRA Andrew Garavito)
On March 31, two United States Air Force EA-37B Compass Call electronic warfare aircraft were observed arriving at RAF Mildenhall in the United Kingdom after departing from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base via Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.
Open-source flight tracking data and imagery indicate a likely onward deployment toward Turkey in support of the ongoing American-Israeli war on Iran.
The EA-37B was developed by the U.S. L3Harris and British BAE Systems on the bases of the Gulfstream G550 business jet. Its main mission is to disrupt enemy command and control networks, significantly hindering adversary coordination. The first such aircraft entered service in 2024.
The aircraft, which can be easily recognized by the large antenna arrays conformally mounted on either side of the fuselage, is especially equipped to conduct standoff jamming of radars, navigation systems and communications.
The deployment came following rumors that the U.S. Air Force lost two older generation EC-130H Compass Call electronic warfare aircraft in the March 29 Iranian strike on Prince Sultan Air Base in the heart of Saudi Arabia.
Illustrative image. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Alex Miller)
The strike was devastating. At least 12 American troops were wounded, and multiple aircraft were hit, including two E-3 Sentry i airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) planes. The full extent of the damage is yet to be revealed, and the air base has come under fire several more times since the initial attack.
EC-130H, also developed by L3Harris and BAE Systems, is based on the Lockheed C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft.
It has the same mission profile as the EA-37B, but it is not as capable. The aircraft first entered service all the way back in 1983.
Whether the EC-130Hs were hit in Saudi Arabia or not, the bending deployment of the EA-37Bs suggests that the U.S. is preparing to escalate the war on Iran.
The Compass Call aircraft could support a ground operation in the Islamic Republic by jamming Iranian command-and-control communications.
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usa is humiliating the mullahs!!!
heheheh
by parking their expensive awacs in the neighbourhood and have them smashed by iranian missiles…