The aircraft is currently in development and operational testing ahead of the delivery to the 55th Electronic Combat Group.
Photos emerged online show the U.S. Air Force newest electronic attack asset, the EA-37B, as it undergoes radio frequency testing reportedly at the Benefield Anechoic Facility. This kind of testing is used to investigate and evaluate anomalies associated with Electronic Warfare systems, avionics and their host platforms in a controlled electromagnetic environment while radio signals are recorded and analyzed.
The EA-37B, formerly known as EC-37B, changed designation in October 2023 to better identify the platform’s mission of finding, attacking and destroying enemy land or sea targets. The aircraft is undergoing development and operational testing ahead of the delivery to the 55th Electronic Combat Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, this year. Although it is already equipped with the Compass Call airborne tactical electronic attack weapon system, it will assume the designation EA-37B Compass Call only in fiscal year 2026 or upon retirement of the EC-130H, should that happen earlier.
EA-37B undergoing RF testing in the Benefield Anechoic Facility. pic.twitter.com/513ezFsBab
— Air Superior (@airsuperiorx) January 31, 2024
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Compass Call disrupts enemy command and control communications, radars, and navigation systems and limits adversary coordination, as part of the Counter-Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Targeting (Counter-C5ISRT) mission. Restricting an adversary’s battlespace coordination and force management, as well as suppressing the air defenses, is essential in today’s operational scenarios to improve the chances of missions’ success.
You can find out more about the EC-37B Compass Call in the detailed report we published here at The Aviationist last year.
